This short article aimed at a general audience shows that while gambling is thought to be a ubiquitous part of human nature, this is just a fiction borne out of familiarity. Many parts of the world didn't have gambling, at least until the last 150 years, and sometimes much sooner. I go on to assess common wisdom answers as to why that might be, dismissing isolation, lack of imagination and lack of risk in people's lives. The best cross cultural correlates are instead presence of general purpose money and inequality. I suggest that given the current popularity of gambling in Britain, we should direct more attention to new monetary technologies and current inequalities.
