Casino crime drove Thorp from gambling to financial markets.

Evidence

Thorp found, however, that beating the casino had disadvantages as a way of making money. At a time when American casinos were controlled largely by organized criminals, there were physical risks. (In 1964, while playing baccarat, Thorp was nearly rendered unconscious by “knockout drops” in his coffee.) The need to travel to places where gambling was legal was a further disadvantage to an academic with a family (Thorp interview). — Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera, 549

Categorization

• XREF: This is the crucial bridge in the book’s argument: the financial market as a ‘safer casino’ that the same mathematical skills could be applied to. Points toward the performativity claim that these techniques weren’t just applied, they shaped markets. — connects to: Thorp applied probability theory to beat roulette and blackjack. — Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial…, 547

Broader Connections

• Thorp applied probability theory to beat roulette and blackjack. #expands (0.90) — Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera, 547