A Concise History of Gambling in London

London is made up of a rich cultural tapestry. So much has happened there that it can be difficult to find out other aspects of the capital, aside from the fact the Prime Minister and the Queen both reside there! We reckon that not enough people know about the rich gambling history of London, so we've put together this concise history of gambling in London.

You’ll find selections from writers like Daniel Defoe and Charles Dickens, legendary gangsters like the Kray Twins and Jack Spot, as well as royals like Henry VIII. And what ties this interesting variety of characters from London’s history together? Why, gambling of course!

The Origins of Gambling

Starting with the earliest first, let’s focus on the aforementioned royal (King Henry VIII) and his gambling ways. King Henry was an avid gambling and dice man, but when his soldiers began spending their time betting as opposed to fighting wars and the like, Henry put his foot down and banned his army from gambling. Did this stop him from playing, you might ask? Of course not! If a man is happy to invent a new strand of Christianity and chop a few of his wives heads off, then he isn’t going to be too worried about appearing hypocritical, surely.

Sir Thomas Neale now has a street named after him in Covent Garden (Neal Street) and his role in royal society was essentially croupier to the kings. Neale acted as a groom to Charles II, James II and William III, and his main task was making sure the King’s table was furnished with dice, cards and people willing to lose to his Majesty. It wasn't until 1684 though, that Charles II gave him some real power and assigned him the role of overseeing gambling in London and shutting down illegal gambling dens. In 1870, “King Street” was renamed “Neal Street”, preserving Sir Neale’s lasting impact on gambling and London.

Gambling and Whoredom in Defoe's London

Daniel Defoe was an extraordinarily prolific pamphleteer, whose most popular work is Moll Flanders which was composed in 1722. The novel charts the downwards spiral of Moll, as she becomes more and more desperate to make money and is reduced to thieving, shoplifting and whoredom across London. In one particularly memorable episode, Moll enters a raffling shop, when a well-dressed gentleman offers to place some money on a raffle for her. He presents her with the prize then asks her into his coach. Moll, being a wily one waits until the man passes out (he was rather drunk) and proceeds to steal all his items from him. Moll often enters into gambling games, only to con the other male players out of the cash and belongings. Daniel Defoe’s text on poverty and decline in 18th century London is an iconic and striking social commentary that hit a mark with the middle and upper classes who were worried about the effects of drink and gambling.

Gambling was a key problem of the 1700’s and caused fluctuations between the rich and poor. It wasn’t surprising for a poor fellow to win some cash on a card game, get a well-paying job and quickly leave the slums where he began life. Similarly, the rich could easily lose all their cash on flamboyant bets and move in to the same newly vacant slum. Gambling and gin were the main “vices” of 18th century London, leading gambling clubs to be renamed “hells” and gambling slums “lower hells”.

After the emergence of a primitive form of the stock market, many began to treat the market as a betting game, often with sour results. Government funded lotteries also proved particularly treacherous, with many losing their entire life savings on these games.

Dickens' London

A century on and quite a bit had changed in the world of gambling. In 1828 William Crockford, with the sponsorship of the Duke of Wellington, opened Crockford, which is now London’s oldest casino. Now located on Curzon Street, in Westminster, Crockford is still London’s most exclusive and stylish casino, something William Crockford we're sure would be proud of.

In 1841, Charles Dickens allowed readers a slight insight into his own views on gambling, with his book The Old Curiosity Shop. Dicken’s Victorian yarn tells the story of little Nell and her grandfather, who live in his shop of bric-a-brac. Nell’s grandfather, in a desperate attempt to leave her with an inheritance that will take her out of poverty, begins playing cards and racks up a terrible debt. After being harassed by the evil debtor, Daniel Quilp, Nell’s grandfather, has a mental breakdown and the two flee to the Midlands. Another relative begins a search for Nell, but by the time he reaches the pair Nell is dead, due to exhaustion from the journey. In his mentally infirm state, the grandfather refuses to believe she is dead and waits for her to return every day. Dicken’s tale is one of his most famous and both modern day and Victorian readers can’t help but be touched by this terrible story of gambling and loss.

Wellington Street, near Covent Garden was, for centuries an area of prostitutes, thieves and all round illegal activity. In the 1700’s there was a popular pamphlet called ‘Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies’, in which Harris (real name Samuel Derrick) would recommend the local prostitutes in the area. Thieves were terrible opportunists, often stealing from the same mark within a few minutes. In the 1800’s though, Wellington Street became home to the Victoria Sporting Club, where gentlemen could place bets on horse races and the like. These gentleman though, refused to refer to their activities as “gambling”, but instead gave them the new title of “gaming”.

Gangland Gambling

Moving into the 20th century, gambling in London is now synonymous with the Kray Twins. In the 1950’s, the Kray Twins owned part of Esmerelda’s Barn, a popular casino in the exclusive and rich area of Knightsbridge. While the twins didn’t have much say in the business, they managed to pocket and incredible amount of money from it. When Reggie went into prison, Ronnie became more and more involved with the workings, which caused great worry to the casinos manager, as he was effectively ruining the once fruitful business. The manager offered Ronnie £1000 a week just to stay away, but he declined and the manager soon packed his bags. Through the casino, the twins were opened up to a world of celebrities and Ronnie even dined at the House of Lords.

After gambling was legalised in the early 1960’s, the Clermont Club was the first casino to be granted a license. When it started, the casino attracted the likes of Princess Margaret, Roger Moore and Peter Sellers and still remains one of London’s most popular clubs. So, there we have it, a very concise century skip through the history of every Londoner’s favourite pass time…Gambling!