diff --git a/src/include/ndpi_typedefs.h b/src/include/ndpi_typedefs.h
index 373a704da73..e15a09832dc 100644
--- a/src/include/ndpi_typedefs.h
+++ b/src/include/ndpi_typedefs.h
@@ -1196,7 +1196,7 @@ struct ndpi_detection_module_struct {
   u_int64_t current_ts;
   u_int16_t max_packets_to_process;
   u_int16_t num_tls_blocks_to_follow;
-  u_int8_t skip_tls_blocks_until_change_cipher:1, enable_ja3_plus:1, _notused:6;
+  u_int8_t skip_tls_blocks_until_change_cipher:1, enable_ja3_plus:1, enable_load_gambling_list:1, _notused:5;
   u_int8_t tls_certificate_expire_in_x_days;
   
   void *user_data;
@@ -1744,6 +1744,7 @@ typedef enum {
     ndpi_enable_tcp_ack_payload_heuristic = (1 << 17),
     ndpi_dont_load_crawlers_list = (1 << 18),
     ndpi_dont_load_protonvpn_list = (1 << 19),
+    ndpi_dont_load_gambling_list = (1 << 20),
   } ndpi_prefs;
 
 typedef struct {
diff --git a/src/lib/ndpi_main.c b/src/lib/ndpi_main.c
index 65c50b6ec1f..bf8319673b4 100644
--- a/src/lib/ndpi_main.c
+++ b/src/lib/ndpi_main.c
@@ -941,8 +941,9 @@ static void init_string_based_protocols(struct ndpi_detection_module_struct *ndp
   for(i = 0; host_match[i].string_to_match != NULL; i++)
     ndpi_init_protocol_match(ndpi_str, &host_match[i]);
 
-  for(i = 0; ndpi_protocol_gambling_hostname_list[i].string_to_match != NULL; i++)
-    ndpi_init_protocol_match(ndpi_str, &ndpi_protocol_gambling_hostname_list[i]);
+  if(ndpi_str->enable_load_gambling_list)
+    for(i = 0; ndpi_protocol_gambling_hostname_list[i].string_to_match != NULL; i++)
+      ndpi_init_protocol_match(ndpi_str, &ndpi_protocol_gambling_hostname_list[i]);
 
   /* ************************ */
 
@@ -2776,6 +2777,10 @@ struct ndpi_detection_module_struct *ndpi_init_detection_module(ndpi_init_prefs
   if(prefs & ndpi_enable_ja3_plus)
     ndpi_str->enable_ja3_plus = 1;
 
+  ndpi_str->enable_load_gambling_list = 1;
+  if(prefs & ndpi_dont_load_gambling_list)
+    ndpi_str->enable_load_gambling_list = 0;
+
   if(!(prefs & ndpi_dont_init_libgcrypt)) {
     if(!gcry_control (GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED_P)) {
       const char *gcrypt_ver = gcry_check_version(NULL);