5 Fascinating British Gamblers
The Steeple Times looks at the stories of five fascinating British gamblers. One of them originated the word 'sandwich'.
The Steeple Times selects five fascinating British gamblers and takes a spin on their respective riveting stories.
Sir James Goldsmith was a wealthy businessman. He had eight children, three wives and many mistresses. At 16, he won £8,000 on a horse racing bet of £10 for a three-horse accumulator at Lewes in East Sussex.
John Bingham, The Right Honourable The 7 Earl of Lucan, was a professional gambler. He was an early member of the Clermont Club in Berkeley Square, Mayfair. Lord Lucans disappeared in 1974 after the murder of his children’s nanny at his estranged wife‘s Belgravia home.
John Montagu was the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He was appointed the British first lord of the Admiralty during the American Revolution. The 4 Earl spent 24 hours at a gaming table in 1762 and asked for some roast beef between two slices of bread.
Stuart Wheeler played cards with Lord Lucan two nights before his disappearance. He gave William Hague's Conservative Party the biggest donation in British history – a sum of £5 million. Wheeler lived in the £15 million Chilham Castle in Kent.
Darren Yates bet £67.58 on Frankie Dettori to win seven out of seven races at Ascot in 1996 and won £550,823.54. He used the money to build a property empire and sell it for £20 million.
