The paper examines the interconnections between gambling and criminality in interwar Budapest within their broader social, cultural, and legal contexts. The analysis situates the expansion of gambling within the moral and social aftermath of World War I, when disillusionment, economic hardship, and social instability created fertile ground for the rise of both legal and illegal forms of play. Besides, during this period, the Hungarian capital emerged as a modernising metropolis where limited social mobility and the allure of nightlife made gambling a central yet ambivalent aspect of urban life. Drawing on contemporary crime reports, police records, and statistical data, the study explores the diverse settings and practices in which gambling occurred – from elite casinos and cafés to clandestine card games held in private apartments. Particular attention is given to law enforcement responses, especially police raids, which – despite their limited effectiveness – played a significant role in shaping social norms. The paper also investigates the representational strategies of the contemporary press, which not only documented but also shaped public discourses on the boundaries between crime, order, and normality. Overall, it interprets gambling as a multifaceted social phenomenon deeply embedded in the urban culture of interwar Budapest, rather than merely a moral or legal issue.