Voltaire and gambling

Abstract

ABSTRACT François Marie Arouet (1694–1778), better known as Voltaire, was a leading figure of the French Enlightenment, the eighteenth-century intellectual movement that criticized established institutions and promoted reason over faith. Gambling twice entered Voltaire’s life, although in different ways. In 1728 he and a friend, explorer Charles-Marie de La Condamine, formed a lottery syndicate and, by exploiting a flaw in the design of the lottery, made their fortunes. He also profited from this friendship by learning some principles of astronomy and geometry, later using this knowledge in some of his literary works. The second encounter involved his mistress, mathematician Émilie du Châtelet, who lost large amounts of Voltaire’s money while gambling with French royalty. Voltaire blamed her losses on some friends of the queen of France, whom he accused of cheating. Despite the financial loss, Voltaire also profited from this episode, albeit indirectly. During the game, he audibly insulted the queen’s friends, and to avoid their wrath, he ran away. While in hiding, he took the opportunity to write some masterpieces. An appreciation of these episodes and their benefits to Voltaire rests on an understanding of lottery design and the gambling behavior of the French nobility.