Brandon Lee
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo is a song that inspired a book and several films. It was based on the true story of Charles Deville Wells, a gambler and fraudster extraordinaire, who broke the bank at Monte Carlo not once but ten times, winning the equivalent of millions today. Wells' story is one of the many men who broke the bank at the world-famous casino, including Joseph Jagger, a textile engineer who exploited imperfections in the balance of the roulette wheel, and Arthur Bower, a convicted fraudster who broke the bank five times in 1911.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Person | Charles Deville Wells |
| Other Names | Monte Carlo Wells, Charles Wells |
| Occupation | Gambler and Fraudster |
| Achievements | Broke the bank at Monte Carlo's world-famous Casino 10 times, winning the equivalent of millions in today's money |
| Other Notable Figures | Joseph Jagger, William Nelson Darnborough, Arthur Bower |
| Inspired | The song "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" and a book of the same name by Robin Quinn |
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What You'll Learn
Charles Deville Wells
In 1891, Wells visited the Monte Carlo Casino on the French Riviera, where he embarked on a legendary winning streak. On 28 July 1891, Wells arrived at the casino at noon with £4,000 (worth about £400,000 today) and proceeded to play roulette with astonishing success. He remained at the same table, never pausing even for food or drink, until the casino closed at 11 pm. By then, he had broken the bank ten times, winning the equivalent of millions in today's money.
The term "breaking the bank" refers to depleting the funds of the gaming table at which one is playing. At the Monte Carlo Casino, each gaming table started the day with a cash reserve of 100,000 francs, known as "the bank". If a gambler's winnings exceeded this amount, play at that table was suspended while additional funds were brought from the casino's vaults. This event was marked by a ceremony devised by the former casino owner, François Blanc: a black cloth was laid over the table, and the successful player was said to have "broken the bank".
Wells' extraordinary winning streak attracted much attention and speculation. Some wondered if he was simply phenomenally lucky, while others questioned whether he had invented an "infallible" gambling system or was a clever fraudster. Indeed, Wells would later become known as Europe's most wanted criminal, with 36 aliases, and was pursued across Europe in one of the biggest manhunts of all time. He was also celebrated in the song "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo".
Wells died in 1922 and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave, largely forgotten except for the song that immortalised him.
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Robin Quinn's book
The idea for the book came to Quinn when he stumbled upon an old newspaper article that mentioned a man who had broken the bank at Monte Carlo and died in poverty. Quinn, a radio presenter, writer, and producer, was captivated by the idea that there was a real person behind the music-hall song "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo".
The book takes readers on a journey through Britain, France, and Monaco as they follow Wells, one of the greatest swindlers of his era. Wells' amazing win at the roulette tables of Monte Carlo is just one of the many highlights in the book. The story reaches its climax when Wells is pursued across Europe in one of the biggest manhunts of all time.
Quinn's book explores the question of whether Wells was phenomenally lucky or if he had truly invented an "infallible" gambling system. Known as "Monte Carlo Wells—the man with 36 aliases," he went on to commit a colossal bank fraud in Paris, becoming Europe's most wanted man, hunted by British and French police.
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo has received rave reviews, with critics praising Quinn's eye for detail and his ability to craft a captivating narrative. The book is described as a "terrific read" and a "thoroughly entertaining, interesting" story that is highly recommended for lovers of Victorian and Edwardian true crime.
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The song
"The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" is a popular British music hall song from the 19th century, written in 1892 by Fred Gilbert. The song was inspired by Charles Wells, a British gambler and confidence trickster who won over a million francs at the Monte Carlo casino. The song was popularised by singer and comedian Charles Coborn and quickly became a staple of his act, performed in different languages around the world.
I've just got here through Paris
From the sunny southern shore;
I to Monte Carlo went
Just to raise my winter's rent
Dame Fortune smiled upon me
As she'd never done before
And I've now such lots of money, I'm a gent
Yes, I've now such lots of money, I'm a gent
[Chorus]
As I walk along the Bois de Boulogne
With an independent air
You can hear the girls declare
"He must be a Millionaire."
You can hear them sigh and wish to die
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo
[Verse 2]
I stay indoors till after lunch
And then my daily walk
To the great Triumphal Arch
Is one grand triumphal march
Observed by each observer
With the keenness of a hawk
I'm a mass of money, linen, silk and starch
I'm a mass of money, linen, silk and starch
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Joseph Jagger
Joseph Hobson Jagger, born on September 2, 1830, in Yorkshire, England, is known for "breaking the bank at Monte Carlo" around 1880/1881. He worked as an engineer in a cotton factory and had knowledge of mechanics, which he believed gave him an edge in roulette.
Jagger was aware that spinning wheels were never perfectly balanced and always had some form of bias. He decided to test his theory by studying the tables at the Casino de Monte-Carlo for a month to determine the most frequently occurring numbers. He then placed bets on these numbers and won over 2 million francs, equivalent to £80,000 at the time and worth £7.5 million in 2018.
Jagger's strategy involved employing six people to watch six roulette wheels at the Beaux-Arts casino, with each person observing one wheel. This allowed him to identify a biased wheel that favoured a particular set of nine numbers: 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 22, 28, and 29. With this knowledge, Jagger exploited the wheel's tendencies and accumulated over £60,000 ($120,000) in winnings over three days.
After the casino became suspicious of their losses, they attempted to counter Jagger's strategy by switching the positions of the roulette wheels. However, Jagger eventually noticed the change and managed to locate the biased wheel again. On his return to Yorkshire, Jagger invested some of his winnings in property in Bradford, which was occupied by members of his family.
Jagger died on April 25, 1892, at the age of 72, with his cause of death listed as diabetes. He was buried in the family grave at the Methodist Bethel Chapel in Shelf, Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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Other men who broke the bank
The Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco was inaugurated in 1863. Since then, the bank has been broken on numerous occasions. The expression "breaking the bank" is used when a gambler wins more money than the reserve held at a particular table in the casino. Each table was funded with a cash reserve of 100,000 francs, known as "the bank". If this reserve was insufficient to pay the winnings, play was suspended, and a black cloth was laid over the table in question. After an interval, the table was reopened, and play continued.
Charles Deville Wells, a gambler and fraudster, is the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo. Wells staked everything he owned at the roulette tables in Monte Carlo's casino and broke the bank ten times, winning the equivalent of millions today. He claimed to have invented an "infallible" gambling system, but it is unclear if he was just an exceptionally clever fraudster or phenomenally lucky. He became Europe's most wanted criminal, with 36 aliases, and was pursued across Europe in one of the biggest manhunts of all time.
- Arthur Bower, a convicted fraudster who broke the bank five times in 1911.
- George Soros, who made a profit of £1 billion during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis by successfully short-selling £10 billion worth of pounds sterling. He has been called "The Man Who Broke the Bank of England".
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Frequently asked questions
Charles Deville Wells, also known as "Monte Carlo Wells—the man with 36 aliases", is popularly believed to have broken the bank at Monte Carlo.
Some other people who broke the bank at Monte Carlo include Joseph Jagger, William Nelson Darnborough, and Arthur Bower.
The song "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" is about a man who wins a lot of money at the casino in Monte Carlo and becomes a millionaire.
It is unclear whether Charles Deville Wells actually broke the bank at Monte Carlo. Some sources claim that he won the equivalent of millions by staking everything he owned at the roulette tables in Monte Carlo's Casino. However, others claim that he was a fraudster who pulled off multiple swindling schemes.
Yes, Robin Quinn wrote a book titled "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo: Charles Deville Wells, Gambler and Fraudster Extraordinaire".
