He became a compulsive gambler and won the nickname “Lucky” because of the rare times he won. The name may even have been ironic. He was at school, in the army and in the City of London, a small area within Greater London that is a major business and financial center, with rich men to whom placing a bet, on cards, dice or horses was a way of life. He was a frequent visitor at England’s race courses, many of which were a stone’s throw from London and became adept at poker and backgammon. In fact, by the late 1960s, he was probably one of the world’s top 10 backgammon players, and he enjoyed the prestige that the ranking gave him. Casinos were still illegal in London in the 1950s, but they were all the rage in Germany where Bingham had been with his regiment, so he turned easily to the games of chance—baccarat, roulette, blackjack and chemin de fer. Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucanpassport photo Once established in the City, of course, John had to be more discreet. He played bridge for low stakes because that was the acceptable side of card-playing.
