Takes a good deal to make a gamble! (5)
I believe the answer is:
lotto
'a gamble' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'takes a good deal to' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'deal' could be 'lot' (synonyms) and 'lot' is found in the answer.
'to' is found in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'make' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lotto that I've seen before include "house" , "Venetian painter - gambling game" , "Game like bingo" , "Game of chance similar to bingo" , "Game of chance based on numbered balls being drawn at random" .)