Teh proofs
I just simulated playing the Martingale system in Excel for shits and giggles, with a starting fund of £100 and initial bet of £1.

After 30 spins I was up to £115, six losing spins in a row later I was down to £52 and couldn't afford the £64 to win my losses back, and the next spin was a loser anyway.

With a starting fund of £1000 I lasted 355 spins before I couldn't afford to win back my losses. If I'd stopped nine spins earlier I'd have spent a whole day in a casino and made £182. Hardly a get-rich quick scheme...
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Wed 13 May 2009, 11:18, 1 reply)

And then...
I tried again with £10,000.

This time I'd turned it into £22,093 after 24,178 spins. Then 15 blacks came up in a row and I lost the lot.
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Wed 13 May 2009, 11:32, closed)