Board games serve this purpose for a lot of people. YMMV though, not everybody likes them. (I would put myself in the "manages to have fun but wouldn't bother if my husband didn't love them" category.)
Alcohol is optional! Money is too. I know I recommended playing for money, but as long as people respect the game and don't play overly recklessly you don't need money. I will note however that there's a big difference between gambling for a small amount of money with friends, and gambling for real stakes in a casino.
If poker is completely off the table then board games are a great alternative. Make sure to pick a game that forces players to regularly interact with each other. I would recommend Wits and Wagers or the classic Settlers of Catan. If you're looking for a more serious strategy game (and if your group can tolerate the emotional highs and lows) I would strongly recommend Diplomacy.
Pen and paper RPGs like D&D can be great fun too, but they're harder to get started with and require the same group of people to play every time. If someone can't make it to a session the entire group can't play, and it's hard to bring in new people. But if you can get a game established with a good group it's amazing. I'm still friends with the people I played with in high school.
Catan or DND has a similar competitive yet low stakes vibe.
Here’s my secret: I host a night about once every two months and I bake soft pretzel bites with varying dipping sauces. People know I’m going to bake pretzels and this familiarity is comforting, but they also come to see what sauces I’m gonna have. I try to make them exotic at times
Golf! Same thing really, a dedicated couple hours to socialize with your buddies. Plus you are enjoying the outdoors too, and if someone has mobility issues they can rent a cart.
