READER’S LIVES

Born in 1869, William Darnborough was the only American to break the bank at Monte Carlo. He was also an American who aspired to be in Britain, and in 1912, he finally achieved his goal as the farm boy from southern Illinois married into English aristocracy. In simple terms, he was following the “American Dream”, although, at the same time, he followed his own “European Dream”.

His exploits were widely reported at the time, and there are corners of the internet that still discuss his roulette system over 120 years later. Around four years ago, I was contacted by a complete stranger who had come across his story. The conversation went a little like this:

“He’s the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo! You’re his grandson and so you must write a screenplay. After all, you live in LA now, so you must know everyone in the film business”. As I do not “know everyone in the film business”, I decided to write a novel based on his adventures instead. The screenplay will hopefully follow. Fortunately, my grandmother and, subsequently, my mother, kept a considerable amount of letters, photographs, and other items, including a Royal Enclosure badge from Ascot in 1909, and many of William Darnborough’s notebooks.

The newspaper archives available on the internet also provide a rich source of material. After three years of investigating, interviewing experts in baseball and roulette, meeting with the directors of the casino in Monte Carlo and dozens of book drafts, I have just released The Gambler’s Game.

A gifted baseball pitcher, Bill, made his way from rural Illinois to play for teams including Denver and Kansas. Still, his roulette exploits took him to New Orleans, Mexico City, San Francisco, Nevada, and the gambling dens of 1900 Gilded Age New York. Finally, he spent eight years at the casino in Monte Carlo, living next door at the Hotel de Paris. His commute was the secret underground tunnel that still exists between the hotel and the magnificent casino underneath the Place du Casino.

Russian Grand Dukes, Italian Countesses, British Lords, American financiers, and German industrialists mingled in Monte Carlo at the same time that the first car rally was held in 1911. This was a time when motorcars, domestic electricity, telephones, and even airplanes all came into existence. It was indeed a moment in history when it seemed anything was achievable. However, one prize alluded William Nelson Darnborough - assimilation into British society. Plenty of the tailors, cobblers, and hatmakers that still exist on Jermyn Street and Saville Row aided his quest, and many of them are featured in the book, as well as Brown’s Hotel, Ascot, and Waddesdon Manor, which was highlighted in the Winter 2023 issue of American in Britain.

If your quest is to assimilate into London society, how do you meet people in the early 1900s? The American Club, situated next to the old In and Out Club on Piccadilly, provided a centre for London’s growing expatriate community, but was not established until 1918 (sadly, it closed in the 1980s). For the record, William Darnborough was a founding member of the American Club, and according to family tales, his wife would often call the members’ bar to request he return home.

Luckily, Bill’s reputation proceeded him.

New York Times, page 3, December 25th, 1910:

By far the most discussed person on the Riviera now is W.N. Darnborough, the American who recently won so heavily at the Monte Carlo roulette tables. He went to Nice for a spell of golf, but now he is back playing again. He is still winning and is now well over $400,000 to the good. He is regarded by the croupiers as the heaviest and luckiest player ever known at Monte Carlo.

Once he had established Brown’s Hotel on Albemarle Street as his permanent residence, the invitations followed. Eventually, and almost inevitably, his story evolves into a lifechanging decision: Should he give up his life of gambling and champagne in Monaco in exchange for the heart of an English lady?

The Gambler’s Game is available on Amazon in print, kindle, and audio formats. Further information can be found at www.thegamblersgame.com.