It all started with the forty-niners and the rapid influx of 100,000 young, ambitious risk-takers hunting for gold. The number of San Francisco residents went from 800 to 24,000 within 2 years of the discovery of gold in1849, and the legends of those pioneers who overcame the barriers of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Death Valley salt flats (250 miles and one of the hottest places on earth) became woven into the Californian psyche. Gold was followed by the black gold of oil and the entrepreneurial spirit moved on to the film industry and high tech Silicon Valley.

Californians, by the nature of the very place they live, are risk-takers. Hardly surprising, then, that of all the states in the U.S.A. California has the largest share of gamblers. Faced with the geological peril of the San Andreas fault that runs through the state, flooding with the subsequent life-threatening mudslides, and burning infernos caused by the nature of the terrain and plant life, the people of California gamble on remaining safe. It is also a place for commercial risk-taking and a ‘who dares, wins’ attitude.

It has been said that it is a misunderstanding of probabilities that keeps people living in danger zones and keeps casino revenues rising. The Las Vegas gaming industry and the tribal casinos benefit from the free-thinking, optimistic and adventurous nature of Californians. The odds may be against them - that earthquake may hit tomorrow, but so could that winning jackpot. Life’s a gamble! (E-08.14.06)

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