noun
gambling; gaming
General term for games of chance involving money or stakes.
彼はばくちで全財産を失った。
He lost his entire fortune through gambling.
noun
speculation; risky venture
Figurative extension: taking a big risk in business or life, as if gambling.
その投資は一種のばくちだった。
That investment was a kind of gamble.
noun
professional gambler; gamester
Archaic term for a person who makes a living by gambling. Modern Japanese usually uses 博徒 or ギャンブラー.
See also: 博奕打ち (ばくちうち)
江戸時代のばくちは、しばしば博奕打ちと呼ばれた。
Professional gamblers in the Edo period were often called 博奕打ち.
The kanji 博 (extensive, gamble) and 打 (strike, hit) combine to suggest a game of chance. The reading ばくち is likely derived from the on'yomi of 博 (baku) and a phonetic shift. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.