gamestresses

There were no gamestresses among the Greeks; and the Roman women were always too much occupied with their domestic affairs to find time for play.

The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, In All Times and Countries, especially in England and in France 1870

Mrs Trollope has described two specimens of the modern gamestresses at the German watering-places, one of whom seems to have specially attracted her notice: --

The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, In All Times and Countries, especially in England and in France 1870

Of other English gamestresses, however, nothing but the ordinary success or inconveniences of gambling are recorded.

The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, In All Times and Countries, especially in England and in France 1870

By the end of the 18th century, gamestresses became so numerous that they excited no surprise, especially among the higher classes; and the majority of them were notorious for unfair play or downright cheating.

The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, In All Times and Countries, especially in England and in France 1870