The True Story Behind 'The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo'

This is the true story of Charles Deville Wells who, in 1891, broke the bank at the Monte Carlo Casino, winning over £4m ($5m) in today's money.

To this day, no one knows how he did it.

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His amazing success in the casino was made famous by the Victorian music hall artist Charles Coben with the song: "The Man Who Broke The Bank at Monte Carlo" (originally it was title "The Man That broke the bank at Monte Carlo")

It was the song that Peter O’Toole in the legendary wartime movie "Lawrence of Arabia" sings as he is travelling through the desert.
Do you remember the scene?

Whether T.E. Lawrence really sang it is open to conjecture!

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in July 1891 he stepped through the doors of the casino at Monte Carlo.

What happened next became the stuff of gambling legend and popular folklore.

He broke the bank at Monte Carlo.

Playing for 11 hours each day, without stopping for food or comfort breaks he kept on winning.

On one of those winning streaks he won 23 of 30 spins on the wheel.

Most famously, he successfully bet on the number 5 on 5 consecutive turns of the wheel.

Eventually, Wells left Monte Carlo with over 1 million Francs (worth something like £4m or $6m in today’s money).

To this day, no one knows how he did it.
Was he a fraud? Was it a publicity stunt by the casino owner? Or was Charles Deville Wells just lucky?

He was later jailed for fraud in both Britain and France (nothing to do with gambling but as a con artist) and died destitute in 1922.

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Chapters
0:00 Into
0:31 Charles Deville Wells
3:35 Monte Carlo Casino
4:57 Wells Wins Big
5:43 How Did He Do It?
7:38 Lavish Lifestyle
8:13 Trial
8:52 Fred Gibert
9:04 Charles Coborn
9:46 Lawrence of Arabia
10:11 Later Life
11:34 Conclusion
12:05 The History Chap

#themanthatbrokethebankatmontecarlo #charlescoborn #montecarlo

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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.

History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.

My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"

Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.

Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.

[barbaragreen]

What a great story, never knew this was actually a true tale. Loved the fact that people sang it outside the prison...only in England. Loved it.

[GaudiaCertaminisGaming]

I remember a story about a man who hired clerks to watch each roulette wheel and note down the numbers they landed on. He then determined which numbers were ‘most popular' on each wheel due to mechanical unbalances and then bet accordingly. Presumably this is the textile manufacturer you mentioned. However, after that the casino got wise and swapped the wheels between roulette table every night.

[BoerChris]

Thanks for that, Chris! We used to sing this - among other old music hall songs - on our Sunday evening drives when I was a child in the early 'sixties, and I always wondered about its provenance. Funny how those old songs, acts and performers' names survived: when I was the classroom joker in '62, my teacher commented "We've got a right Dan Leno here!".

[williamkettle]

Brilliant story. Reminds me of the saying “NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK”.

[thetruthseeker]

I hope You never quit- Yours are the best of YouTube videos!

[harryshriver]

A wonderful story of how one man can cheat system. I was wondering if somehow Wells new being picked out manufacturer who previously broke the bank and somehow control the information out of him. I think you are spot-on with fact that he was an inventor and could possibly aspartame the the inner workings of the roulette wheel. Great job, amigo y disfruta sus vacaciones!

[peterjones]

Not quite your usual content but wow it was still excellent to learn about the background to the famous song, brilliant video as always sir.

[snorkherder]

What an absolute bounder the fellow was, I remember song from the Peter O'Toole film, Thank you for entertaining us Sir !

[johnroche]

Absolutely great piece of historical research Chris to give the back story to this song. Wow what a movie "Lawerece of Arabia" was in terms of action, calibre of actors and setting. A piece of movie trivia folks. Albert Finney was first choice to play "Lawerence" instead of the great late Peter O' Toole. Also we think of the Arab army under Lawerence as guerillas but some had served previously with the Ottoman(Turkish) Army and therefore had formal conventional military training. A notification from Chris and the History Chap Channel is an ideal way to start the weekend. Great documentary Chris. Thank you for the Herculean work you put into this top rate channel.

[martinblunden]

Wow, what a wonderfully eclectic tale, like something out of" the strand "magazine 😂thanks for posting it

[howardspice]

I never knew the song was from a true story!

[davidwoods]

Thanks so much for this Chris...
I work in a leading UK amusement park and one of my rides has a 72 key fairground organ. The tune I always play is the Colonel Bogey March and I am always expecting Alec Guinness to come round the corner with his "troops" whistleing the tune that is always in my head. maybe a story about The Bridge on the River Kwai ????

[DarrenMarsh-kxhd]

Absolutely love these videos, you've a real knack for historical storytelling.

....do I sense a Lawrence Of Arabia video coming soon? Oh I hope so.

[victorydaydeepstate]

I love your videos! You are the last Brit.

[kaoskronostyche]

Of course I have heard the phrase " ... who broke the bank" but had no idea what the story was. Thank you. Cheers!

[drtimsmith]

Another brilliantly told tale... keep it up, Chris !! 👍

[thomasklugh]

I love hearing it sung in the Orson Welles movie, "The Magnificent Ambersons."

[gordonsmith]

Highly entertaining:-) There is an oblique reference to this in Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe. If I remember correctly the Master of the college is discussing the perilous state of the college funds. One of college counil recalls a prior master as breaking the bank at Monte Carlo. The master enquires further and is told "Unfortunately it was our bank he broke".

[OldLugnutz]

This was a great video...Ah, the good ol' days!

[jamesbishop]

Wow Chris, that was a fun change. Thanks mate.