John Law was a citizen of Edinburgh during the late 1600s. He was not a man to respect, but rather one to consider a consummate liar and overall bad guy. Law’s father managed to amass quite a fortune, which helped Law become the man he was. With cash at hand he was able to spend freely, which eventually led to his downfall. John Law was known for his time with the ladies, too. At a young age Law had a head for numbers, and perhaps this was the reason he decided to enjoy gambling. In 1688 Law’s father died, opening the doors for him to spend as much as he wanted as well as to travel to London as a means to see more of the world.
Almost from the moment he entered London he began to frequent gambling establishments. Unfortunately things did not always go his way. He would sometimes win quite a bit, but more often he would lose. For nine years he spent much of his life gambling only to lose greater and greater each time. Eventually he lost so much that he had to mortgage his estate in order to cover the debt.
During this same time he was a famed womaniser who finally fell victim to his own troubles. Seeing one woman led to a duel in which he killed a man. This unfortunate event would have put him to death if not for getting the sentence reversed to a fine. Yet, the brother of the dead man did not feel this was acceptable so made certain the courts held Law. At age 26 Law escaped from the court and went to Europe such as Amsterdam and France. He was a wanted man while travelling through Europe, but he managed to keep ahead of the law. To keep his lifestyle he went back to financing and even traded some funds, though he still spent his time in the gambling houses throughout Europe.
Despite being a wanted man by the brother in London, Law returned to Scotland in 1700. He turned from gambling at this time to finance where he proposed funds and trade reforms to Parliament. The concept was rejected so Law left. He had better luck in France and eventually Louisiana.
Law may not be known much for his type of gambling or for a great deal of winnings, but his lifestyle does make him one of the early famous gamblers of the UK. His debauchery made him a legend along with the finance proposals he made in Scotland. The fact that he spent almost every night at the gaming tables in London and eventually in other parts of the world makes him someone of note in the gambling world. His losses make him more famous considering it led partly to his downfall in London. John Law may not be a Phil Helmuth of our times or even John Aspinall of the 1900s, but he was an early gambler that is remembered in the history books.