… practice would spread among the ladies, as expressed in the Connoisseur n°15: They are at present very deep in cards and dice; […] I am inclined to suspect that our women of fashion will also learn to divert themselves with this polite … and bribery of several ministers. Part of this speculative drive, betting became an amusement as popular as card or dice games and was definitely one of the main occupations of the members of West End clubs in the second half of the …