It has long been a dearest nugget of trivia by King James Bond nerds that Sean Connery could hirer a gaming table with the same nonchalant technique as the suave arcanum agent he portrayed.

Well, apparently, it’s all a lie.

Connery’s famous raging streak at the Casino de la Vallee in Saint-Vincent in NE Italy in 1963 was ostensibly aught more than a rigged marketing stunt. That’s according to a new unearthed interview with the later(a) Julian Bond publicist Jerry Juroe.

Turns out they were simply trying to get publicity for the first of all Julian Bond movie, Dr. No, and the then-relatively unknown region doer inward the statute title role

The story goes that Connery, who died inwards Oct of lowest year at eld 90, seated himself at unity of the casino’s European roulette tables, placing his stakes on his lucky number, 17.

The for the first time II spins yielded no more joy. But the budding Julian Bond stuck to his guns, and on the third spin, the ball settled inwards the 17 pocket. Being a Scots English badass, Connery decided to let his win ride, leaving them on 17. Again, the globe bounced into the 17 pocket. And then, again, a thirdly time.

The odds of this occurring are virtually 50,000/1, the tolerant of betting odds James Bond overcomes inwards every movie, otherwise he would be totally dead.

Except that he didn’t. It was all faked, according to Juroe, in a previously unseen interview.

Unseen Footage

“The stunt was wanton to accomplish because the roll was rigged, the bets were rigged, and for a legal brief point of time, Sean – as intimately as ane or ii other people who were voice and share of the performance – was posing thither winning money until he literally broke the bank,” Juroe said.

It was non that difficult. But, i must tell you, as presently as it was handed over, the money was handed back. It was quite an a few one thousand million lire,” Juroe continued.

The question was uncovered by Saul Duncan, author of a unexampled book, The Julian Bond Archives, who was given sole(a) memory access to archive footage by Bond production company, Eon.

Of course, Bond’s spunky of select was non toothed wheel at all, but baccarat, as constituted inwards the rattling first scene of Dr. No.

Nevertheless, the marketing stratagem was a hit. It made headlines around the world. And it belike helped Dr. No get a box-office smash, background the James Bond enfranchisement rolling. Although the Vatican’s denouncement of the moving-picture show as “a dangerous mixture of violence, vulgarity, sadism, and sex” was in all likelihood the clincher.