Complex sentence: Reynolds was a colourful character and a gambling man, and indeed it was gambling losses that reportedly forced him to sell his beloved home to the Methodists in 1874 for the sum of $30,000.
Split into simpler sentences: Reynolds was a colourful character and a gambling man. It was gambling losses that reportedly forced him to sell his beloved home to the Methodists in 1874 for the sum of $30,000.