Best Gambling Tattoo Ideas

Tattoos are one of the strongest ways people can express their creativity to the outside world, showing off designs that mean the most to them or just look great. Gamblers looking to display their love for games, cards, dice or anything else may find gambling tattoos the perfect way to do so.

In this piece we will look at some inspired gambling tattoo ideas, how you can go about getting one of your own as well as celebrities with gambling tattoos.

• Life’s a Gamble
• Las Vegas Sign
• Angel Number 777
• Joker
• Ace
• Roulette
• Blackjack
• Dice
• Poker Chips
• Celebrities with Gambling-Themed Tattoos
• How to Get a Gambling-Themed Tattoo

Life’s a Gamble

This one is for players who love to take risks and believe that life imitates gambling when it comes to maximizing chance and opportunity. It stems from a famous quote from playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, who said: “Life is a gamble at terrible odds; if it was a bet you wouldn’t take it.”

‘Life’s a Gamble’ is also the title of poker legend Mike Sexton’s book and sums up the mindset of ardent gamblers who live on the edge. The phrase dovetails neatly with dice and cards and provides a great starting point for your tattoo ideas gambling.

Las Vegas Sign

Las Vegas is synonymous with gambling and the ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada’ sign has been welcoming visitors to Sin City since May 1959. The sign is one of our favorite sleeve tattoos gambling theme ideas as it could form part of a bigger design with other shapes and objects.

Many people have opted for color with the sign as a tattoo, with the bright red, blue, yellow and white shades bringing it to life. The real-life sign was designed by Betty Willis at the request of local salesman Ted Rogich, who sold it on to Clark County, Nevada.

Angel Number 777

Another one of the strongest gambling tattoo ideas is the number 777 which is known as an angel number with many believing it to carry a powerful spiritual message. In the world of gambling 777 is often used on slot machines in the US to identify a jackpot. Therefore opting for this tattoo could bring you luck as well as show off your passion for gambling.

Joker

Unconventional or unpredictable players might opt for a joker tattoo to show off their wild side, with this character giving off the impression of mystery and risk. Jokers often act as a wild card in many card games and can have either really good or really bad implications depending on what you are playing.

Another option to go down involving the Joker for tattoo ideas gambling is the supervillain who appears in American comic books from DC Comics. The Joker has been brilliantly portrayed throughout the years by the likes of Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989), Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008), Jared Leto in the DC Extended Universe (2016-2021) and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019).

Ace

An ace could make a great gambling-themed tattoo idea as aces are usually the highest-playing card in a deck and can often be associated with excellence, superiority and greatness.

You could also incorporate the colors associated with different suits – the ace of hearts and ace of diamond are red and the ace of spades and ace of clubs black. There is also a strong association with good luck when you see all four aces, representing a ‘four of a kind’ hand and the second-best you can hold after a ‘straight flush’.

Roulette

Roulette fans might also look to the famous wheel where the ball spins on as a gambling tattoo idea, with the red and black colors as well as the green zero an option if you don’t want just plain black and white. The first form of roulette was devised in 18th-century France and today is a hugely popular casino table game and live dealer game at top online casinos.

There are a number of different betting strategies that players can employ to improve their chances of success in roulette such as the Martingale, Labouchere, D’Alembert and Fibonacci systems.

One of the biggest roulette wins of all time came in 2004 when Englishman Ashley Revell decided to sell all of his possessions – including his clothes – and place his entire net worth of $135,300 on red at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The ball landed on the red number seven, allowing him to walk away with $270,600.

Blackjack

Another hugely popular casino game that has inspired many tattoo ideas gambling is blackjack, with the ideal hand of two cards making 21 forming an inspired ink idea. This sort of design is great for gambling tattoo sleeve ideas as it could easily be incorporated into a larger piece and is instantly recognizable.

Blackjack is the most widely-played casino banking game in the world and is thought to date back to at least the early 1800s. There have been a slew of blackjack-related movies down the years with some of the best including 1989 James Bond flick License to Kill as well as the likes of Croupier, Casino, 21, Rain Man, Swingers and The Hangover.

Dice

A simple idea but a poignant one considering dice games have been around for centuries, dice tattoos make a strong impact. They could showcase a particularly lucky number combination or combine well with other gambling tattoo sleeve ideas.

Poker Chips

Poker chips are also popular casino tattoo ideas and could commemorate an especially lucky night or trip to a casino. They look great with a hand of cards and can be black or white or incorporate the red of playing cards.

Celebrities with Gambling-Themed Tattoos

You can always draw further inspiration from these gambling tattoo ideas that high-profile people have chosen to adorn their bodies with…

Ben Affleck

Actor Ben Affleck has an array of tattoos including playing cards on his right shoulder that form part of a bigger design involving a sword and flowers. He discussed them in 2016, saying: “There’s inspiration for all of it, [but] you have to get much, much closer than we are now to get further of that story.” Affleck is a vocal fan of card games like blackjack and poker and has been spotted playing in casinos across the world, even making it on to the World Poker Tour.

Nelly

Rapper Nelly has five playing cards on his right arm – with each of the five letters that make up his name on them – as well as a pair of dice. He is known to be an avid poker player who has been pictured playing at the World Series of Poker in 2007, while he often competes on the PokerStars European Poker Tour.

How to Get a Gambling-Themed Tattoo

Just like with any tattoo you need to find an artist you can trust before you rush ahead and get yourself inked. Many people have lived to regret their tattoo choices by not selecting a suitable artist and the end result just not looking like what they had envisaged in their head.

Search the internet for someone who specializes in gambling-themed tattoos – Instagram and Pinterest are great places to start and have a wealth of options to inspire you. Check reviews of any tattoo artists you like and remember it is not worth trying to get a tattoo on the cheap, this ink is going to be permanently on your body so you want to pay for sufficient quality.