I have often wondered the same, Harlow. There certainly does seem to be a disconnect between what academically brilliant people might believe outside academia. For example, I have a close relative who was the valedictorian of her college graduating class who genuinely believed the film Reefer Madness was a documentary. Unfortunately, we often also see such disconnects when it comes to religion and politics. And though it baffles me how otherwise intelligent people can buy into magical thinking, I think a more important factor than your gambling metaphor is fear. We feat "them," so we build high walls.