Observation in
economics and
financial analysis or
decision modelling
that as stakes become larger, most agents in an economy become more
risk averse.
Thus an individual with a (monetary) net worth of $50,000 might always be
willing to bet a penny on a 10% chance of winning a dollar (effectively risk
neutral), but not to bet 100,000 on a 10% chance of winning $1.1 million.
In simple terms this is to say that even if the bet is one that is
probabilistically] favorable, if the stakes dictate that a loss is catastrophic
then the bet will still not be taken.
The related idea of Gambler's Ruin suggests that in any risk based decision
the party with greater resources has an inherent advantage.