Feature Photo Licensed From Shutterstock.com/Everett Collection
Our article, “10 Classic Rock Songs About Gambling,” showcases songs that define the various aspects of gambling. The word gambling is often associated with casinos, horse racing, and, in modern times, sports betting, which has become legal in many places. However, the concept of gambling does not always involve the actual exchange of money or favors. Gambling can mean a variety of things, from taking risks in a relationship to gambling with one’s life. In this top ten list, we tried to present a variety of gambling songs that stand as some of the best ever written.
# 10 – Easy Money – Billy Joel
We open our list of 10 classic rock songs about gambling with a classic tune from Long Island’s own Billy Joel. The song “Easy Money” appeared on his An Innocent Man album, his ninth studio release. This was a very cool record in which Billy Joel paid homage to his musical heroes, and “Easy Money” drew heavily from the styles of James Brown and Wilson Pickett. The song opened the album and also appeared in the Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci movie Easy Money, one of the most hilarious movies we’ve ever seen. This one rocks. If there ever was an overused term in gambling, and probably one that people felt embarrassed about using, usually when they lose, it was the term “easy money.”
Read More: Liberty DeVitto Interview: 10 Albums That Changed My Life
# 9 – Sin City – AC/DC
If there ever was a city in the entire world that defined the concept of gambling, it’s Las Vegas, Nevada. AC/DC’s song “Sin City” is all about going to Las Vegas, with gambling imagery built right into the song. The track was released on the band’s fifth studio album, Powerage, in May 1978. Bon Scott’s vocal and Angus Young’s guitar work give the song exactly the dangerous, larger-than-life atmosphere its title demands.
Read More: An Interview with Chris Slade of AC/DC, Asia, The Firm and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
# 8 – Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man – Bob Seger
Well, now you know we couldn’t put together this list without including this song by Bob Seger, right? Additionally, this song has one of the best lines I’ve ever heard in rock and roll music when Seger screams, “Ain’t good looking, but you know I ain’t shy, ain’t afraid to look a girl, yeah, in the eye.” The song “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” was released on Bob Seger’s debut album, also entitled Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man in 1969. The album was credited to the Bob Seger System. The band at the time consisted of Bob Seger on guitar and lead vocals, Dan Honaker on bass, Bob Schultz on organ, and Pep Perrine on drums. If those backing vocals sound a little familiar to you, well, that’s the legendary Glenn Frey of the Eagles singing backup and also playing some acoustic guitar.
Read More Mark Chatfield of The Bob Seger Band and The Godz: 11 Albums That Changed My Life
# 7 – Tumbling Dice – The Rolling Stones
![Exile On Main Street [Remastered]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61XY8m20waL._SL500_.jpg)
In our first draft of the list, we had this one in mind, but somehow forgot about it when we were putting it all together. It happens. Nonetheless, we have corrected our mistakes and made sure to get this Rolling Stones classic sung by Mick Jagger on our rock song gambling list. Most Stones fans know what album this was released on, but in case you’re new to the game, “Tumbling Dice” was released on the Rolling Stones’ spectacular two-record set Exile on Main St. The album was released in 1972.
Read More: The Rolling Stones 24 Tour Rocks MetLife Stadium Review 5-23-24
# 6 – Tie – Deuces Are Wild / Draw The Line – Aerosmith
In the number six spot on our rock and roll gambling songs list, we present a tie by one of our favorite bands on the site, Aerosmith. We can never get enough Aerosmith music on this site, and whenever we get a chance to write about them, we’re going to go to the attic and pull some toys out. The song “Deuces Are Wild” was released on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience compilation album. It would also be released on Big Ones, one of Aerosmith’s compilations. “Draw the Line,” as Aerosmith fans know, was the title track to the band’s album Draw the Line. “Draw the Line” has always been one of our favorite Aerosmith songs. Both songs deal with gambling, but more with the concept of gambling in love than one of monetary value, although when it comes to relationships, we know money can play a pretty big role, if you know what I mean.
Read More: Joe Perry of Aerosmith Interview: 13 Albums That Changed My Life
# 5 – Let It Ride – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
At the halfway point on our rock songs list about gambling is the much-loved Bachman-Turner Overdrive song “Let It Ride.” The gambling phrase “let it ride” means to leave a bet in play or keep going rather than cashing out. Randy Bachman and Fred Turner used the phrase for a song that was originally released on the band’s second album, Bachman-Turner Overdrive II. The song was released as a single in 1974 and peaked at number twenty-three on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became BTO’s first Top 40 single in the United States and remains one of the band’s most enduring songs.
Read More: Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s Best Song On Each Of Their Albums
# 4 – Go Down Gamblin’ – Blood, Sweat & Tears
It makes good sense to place this song in the fourth spot since it was released on the fourth album issued by Blood, Sweat & Tears, titled BS&T 4. The album was released in June 1971, and “Go Down Gamblin'” was the opening track. David Clayton-Thomas wrote the song, and if ever there was a rock and roll song about gambling, this was it. The lyrics are packed with cards, losing, debt, and the mentality of somebody who keeps going back to the table. Besides the lyrics, this song is simply killer, based on those incredible horn lines and guitar riffs that fuel the song’s entirety. The band paid it tribute by including it on their first greatest hits album. As smoking as this tune is, it has never gotten as much love as the bigger hits, and that’s a shame because it most definitely deserves it.
Read More: Top 10 Blood, Sweat & Tears Songs
# 3 – Roulette – Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen’s “Roulette” was one of those outtakes that never made it onto any of his studio albums, leaving fans perplexed. This roaring, rocking song was definitely one of his best. How an artist could leave a song like this off an album is just unbelievable, but that’s what Bruce Springsteen was all about, he wrote so many great songs, he simply did not have the room to include them all on his studio records. This song was written toward the end of the ’70s, during the Three Mile Island crisis and the broader anti-nuclear power movement. While it never explicitly mentions nuclear power plants, the lyrics clearly reflect this theme. He’s singing about how governments installing these plants were playing roulette and gambling with the lives of the people who lived around them. It’s all in there; you just have to listen.
Read More: Our Favorite Bruce Springsteen B-Sides
# 2 – Wheel Of Fortune – The Doobie Brothers
As we approach the number one spot on our gambling songs list, we return to the classic Doobie Brothers song “Wheel of Fortune.” This song was released on the Doobie Brothers’ 1976 album Takin’ It to the Streets. When we first compiled our top ten Doobie Brothers songs list, “Wheel of Fortune” was placed in the number one spot. It’s just a phenomenal song that highlights every aspect of the Doobie Brothers that we’ve loved for years, from the spectacular guitar work and incredible grooves to the phenomenal production and sensational vocals. Lyrically, the song examines the gambling aspect of life, how some people win, some lose, and how that can change over time. It seems angry at times, and there appears to be some sort of anti-city sentiment going on, although it’s a little ambiguous. “Wheel of Fortune” also references a tarot card, adding another layer of meaning while still leaving plenty open to interpretation.
Read More: The Doobie Brothers Best Song On Each Studio Album
# 1 – Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
We close out our list of gambling songs with the ultimate rock and roll tune about gambling, laid out many years ago by the king himself, Elvis Presley. “Viva Las Vegas,” released in 1964, was the title track to the Elvis Presley movie of the same name. While this recording wasn’t the biggest hit of his career, it still performed quite well on the charts, peaking at number twenty-nine on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also became a top ten hit in Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, and Australia. Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman wrote the song. “Viva Las Vegas” would become one of the most covered Elvis Presley songs ever, with rock and rollers from ZZ Top to Bruce Springsteen to the Dead Kennedys taking it on. If there ever was a song that defined the excitement of gambling and all that comes with it, it was this classic song by a true musical legend.
Read More: Elvis Presley, Censorship, And The Power Of The People
Check out more similar articles on ClassicRockHistory.com Just click on any of the links below……
10 Essential Songs About Returning Home
10 Best Rock Songs About Touring
10 Best Rock Songs About The Meaning Of Life
10 Best Rock Songs About Space
10 Essential Rock Songs That Mention Other Musical Artists
Top 10 Rock Songs Used Perfectly For TV Show Themes
10 Best Rock Songs About Being Free
Top 10 Rock Songs With Long Endings
Updated September 26, 2026
10 Best Classic Rock Songs About Gambling article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
No Ace of Spades??? What a disgrace.
The Gambler-Kenny Rogers has to be a song that we think about for this list…it charted high if memory serves as a crossover hit.
Its a good pick, but we were trying to stick more with classic rock songs
All deserving selections above, and here are a few more for consideration, that come to mind:
“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band, from the album “Million Mile Reflections”, released in 1979.
“Beating The Odds” by Molly Hatchet, from their 1980 same-titled album.
“I Feel Lucky” by Mary Chapin Carpenter, from her 1992 album “Come On, Come On”.
“You Better You Bet” by the Who, from their 1981 album “Face Dances”.