The Case History of a Gambler

Originally Aired: December 17, 1951 Suspense #452, "The Case History of a Gambler," Matt Miller drags himself through the streets with a bullet in his body, six blocks from the hospital, as his mind drifts back to where it all began three years earlier. The story unfolds through flashback as Matt recalls borrowing $10,000 from his friend Frank to bet on a rigged prizefight, part of a $100,000 gamble spread across the country. When his fighter wins at twenty-to-one odds, Matt suddenly finds himself with two million dollars and uses it to open a massive suburban gambling casino. Flush with success, Matt becomes known as an easy touch for desperate criminals and grifters who need operating capital, always collecting his debts through intimidation and threats. When his bookkeeper Lou mentions how insurance policies protect the wives of men like Charlie, one of Matt's debtors, it sparks a sinister new scheme. Matt consults his lawyer about forming a dummy corporation to sell life insurance policies, with himself named as beneficiary on policies sold to the very men he loans money to, creating a twisted business model where their deaths become his profit.