A person who gambles professionally on (Mississippi) riverboats, especially used as the type of a person who is regarded variously as bold, reckless, dashing, sharp, unethical, etc.
Origin
1920s; earliest use found in The San Francisco Chronicle.
Definition of riverboat gambler in US English:
riverboat gambler
noun
US
A person who gambles professionally on (Mississippi) riverboats, especially used as the type of a person who is regarded variously as bold, reckless, dashing, sharp, unethical, etc.
Origin
1920s; earliest use found in The San Francisco Chronicle.