Occupies a largish part of Cities culture, with a murky relationship to local laws. Gambling is partially legal and, typically, surrounded by a host of licence systems. Officially licensed bookmakers can run books on certain sports (mainly Five Crowns athletics, and races), and licensed venues can run certain games; both have strict maximum limits, and are heavily taxed. Unofficially, of course, it is far more prevalent, and the pragmatic Guardsmen usually turn a blind eye.
Types: Sports events are still the main things betted on, with books run on street-races, boxing and ball games - but above all, athletics and the Five Crowns. The Garreday Games is the major event in the gambling calendar, with the book run by the Matterchack Men coining thousands of gold pieces, wagers from all walks of life being placed on athletes and, of course, the periodic nobbling/fixing scandals created by the gambling coming to light. Races, particularly the Up & Over race, are also popular subjects for wagers; lower max limits fixed and with a greater element of chance, but less prone (allegedly) to corruption, as less organised. Bannox ball, particularly in tournaments, is also prone to speculators; the more sporadic ball games are also sometimes betted on. Gambling on boxing and street-wrestling contests is illegal but goes on a fair bit; likewise, animal fights, mainly using dogs or rats.
The Cities is an area as prone to political speculation as it is to gambling, and it isn't surprising that the two are often combined. Most of the bookies run odds on specific major events in politics, or other current affairs; most common are election winners (particularly the Chancellor's Election), also the outcome of high-profile trials, the chances of a controversial bill being passed, the next way a notorious Emissary will find to dirty his already-soiled reputation etc. These so called Gag Books (GAG from Great And Good), or gagger bets, are often published in the form of earnest political newsheet commentaries, with the odds in small print at the bottom. They too are officially banned but generally tolerated as harmless (though some worry they might lead to election candidates being nobbled like Garreday athletes) and some officials even encourage them as another way of involving the masses in politics.
Various games of chance or skill have emerged to bet on; wagering on these outside the home is only allowed in specially-licensed taverns, but goes on in most places. Dice games are the most popular, the dice made of carved pebbles or bone. Harleys is one very common game, basically a dice equivalent of pontoon; another is Orcs Eyes, a three-dice game, where you win based on a complicated scale of numbers thrown (three ones is the jackpot, the name derived from this and the common myth that Orcs have three eyes). An even more simple game, also popular with children, is Soldiers. Card games are also popular and diverse - most using a deck with 40 different characters from Garran folklore (e.g. Aeniss the Icy Death, Harkanas, the Four Crows) which is also used for precognition.