Chapter

From Blackjack to Monanism (Interview)

EXCERPT

David Walsh is the founder of the Museum of Old and New Art [Mona] in Hobart, Tasmania, a unique art museum funded by Walsh from the proceeds of a successful career developing and applying sophisticated techniques for beating the odds in pari-mutuel betting.

Walsh dropped out of his Mathematics and Computing course at University of Tasmania after he discovered cardcounting, began to visit a nearby casino. His interest in gambling grew, and he went on to develop mathematical models for sports betting together with collaborator Zeljko Ranogajec.

[…] Collapse talked to Walsh about gambling on a grand scale, his strategies, the role of chance in life and death, and whether Mona is the biggest risk he’s ever taken…