"Moonlight Gambler" is a song written by Bob Hilliard and Phil Springer and performed by Frankie Laine featuring Ray Conniff and His Orchestra. It reached No. 3 on the U.S. pop chart and No. 13 on the UK singles chart in 1957.
The single ranked No. 32 on Billboard's Year-End top 50 singles of 1957."1957's Best Selling Records" Billboard December 23, 1957: p. 20
The song begins with a spoken recitation by Laine saying:
"You can gamble for matchsticks,/ You can gamble for gold,/ The stakes may be heavy or small,/ But, if you haven't gambled for love and lost,/ Then you haven't gambled at all". Which is repeated when sung in the bridge section of the song. Laine's version also features a whistler and a clip clopping sound.
Other versions Gene Barry released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1962 single "Red Silk Stockings and Green Perfume". Winifred Atwell released a version of the song on her 2001 compilation album, Best of Winifred Atwell. T. Storm Hunter released a version of the song on his 2010 album, Airways Hotel.
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