vigorish

/ˈvɪɡərɪʃ/
noun
  1. The fee or commission charged by a bookmaker or casino for taking a bet, usually a percentage of the amount wagered.
    • Professional gamblers carefully calculate the vigorish to determine if a bet is worth making.
    • Casinos make their profit from the vigorish built into every game.
    • The sportsbook's vigorish on that bet was 10%, meaning you had to risk $110 to win $100.
  2. An excessive or unfair interest rate, especially on a loan from a loan shark.
    • The illegal lender charged a vigorish of 20% per week.
    • Many people fall into debt traps because of the high vigorish on payday loans.
    • He borrowed money from a loan shark and was crushed by the vigorish.