Charles Wells (gambler)

Charles De Ville Wells was born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire on 20 April 1841.[2][3] His father was Charles Jeremiah Wells (1799-1879), poet and lawyer, to whom John Keats once addressed a sonnet (To a Friend Who Sent Me Some Roses)[4] His mother was Emily Jane Hill, the daughter of a Hertfordshire school teacher.[5] When he was a few weeks old, the family relocated from their home in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, to France, where they lived initially at Quimper,[6] and later at Marseille.[7]

Wells found employment as an engineer at the shipyards and docks of Marseille during the 1860s. In 1868, he invented a device for regulating the speed of ships’ propellers and sold the patent for 5,000 francs (approximately five times his annual salary). In about 1879, he relocated to Paris, where he persuaded members of the public to invest in a fraudulent scheme to build a railway at Berck-sur-Mer in Pas-de-Calais.[8] He disappeared with his clients’ money and was convicted in his absence by a Paris court.[9] He relocated to Britain, where, from 1885 onwards, he persuaded members of the public to invest in what he claimed were valuable inventions of his own devising. Although he promised substantial profits, there is no evidence that any of his backers ever received a return on their outlay. One lost almost £19,000 (equivalent to £1.9m presently, allowing for inflation).[10]

Breaking the bank

Wells visited the Monte Carlo Casino in late July to early August 1891, and again during November of that year.

An interior view of the casino at Monte Carlo c. 1900.

At the start of each day, every gaming table in the casino was funded with a cash reserve of 100,000 francs – known as "the bank". If a gambler won very large amounts, and this reserve was insufficient to pay the winnings, play at that table was suspended while extra funds were brought from the casino's vaults. A ceremony was devised by François Blanc, the former owner of the casino: a black cloth was laid over the table in question, and the successful player was said to have broken the bank. After an interval, the table was re-opened and play continued.[11] (François Blanc had died in 1877 and his son, Camille Blanc, was head of the casino at the time of Charles Wells' 1891 visits).

Considerable speculation developed concerning Wells' achievements. Some newspapers dismissed his wins as a publicity stunt,[12] but Wells claimed to have used an "infallible system" he had perfected,[13] and his past record as a fraudster caused many observers to believe that he had somehow found a way to cheat the casino (another possibility being that he was simply exceptionally lucky on these particular visits).

Steam yacht Palais Royal (formerly Tycho Brahe).

He used some of the money he won to purchase a ship, the Tycho Brahe, which he renamed the Palais Royal.[14] He converted this into an unusually large luxury yacht, with sumptuous accommodation which included a ballroom large enough for fifty guests. After his initial wins, he returned to Monte Carlo again in January 1892, but lost about 100,000 francs.[15] No credible evidence can be found to suggest that he ever repeated his earlier wins, though he would later claim to have won a further £2,500 in August 1910.[16]

In late 1892, he was arrested at Le Havre aboard his yacht, the Palais Royal, and extradited to Britain to be charged for crimes associated with his patent scheme. He was tried at the Old Bailey in March 1893, found guilty on 23 counts of fraud and sentenced to eight years imprisonment,[17] which he served in Portland Prison. He was released after six years due to good behaviour, though on one occasion he received two-days solitary confinement for giving a ten-ounce loaf of bread to another prisoner. Shortly before his release he played 'The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo' and 'Home Sweet Home' on the organ of Portland's Roman Catholic Chapel.[18]

Reports vary as to the location of Wells' death. Most state that he died in Paris, but no good evidence for this has been found. Sources also differ concerning the year of his death, though the majority give this as 1922. He was buried in London in North Sheen Cemetery.

Wells’ exploits inspired Fred Gilbert to write a popular song, "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo".[22]

Sheet music for Fred Gilbert's music hall song "The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo"

Other people had broken the bank before Wells, but it is probable that this song played a major part in making him famous. Subsequent reports in the press and even in the House of Commons refer to him as "Monte Carlo Wells". A biography of Charles Wells was published in 2016: The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo: Charles Deville Wells, Gambler and Fraudster Extraordinaire.[23]

• Quinn, Robin (2016) The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo: Charles Deville Wells, gambler and fraudster extraordinaire. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-6177-6