Sounds like he was a pretty lonely Jew. It goes without saying that the militaristic aspect of Hanukka doesn't sit well with facile Christian ideas about morality. The Jews aren't a warrior people. Most Jews in all ages thought that war was stupid. After this shaky historicity, even an ultra-secular view of Hanukka might seem refreshing.
Intriguing inconsistencies make for a good sales spin, it seems.
After all, the four possible outcomes of each spin make for far less dramatic tension than, say, standard dice. According to Ivars Petersen's Mathland, you'd be well advised to stick to confectionery rather than cash for your dreidel wagers. My high-school statistics is no match for the baffling formulae and proofs provided by the site, but given that it belongs to the Mathematical Association of America it must be reliable. One is only left wondering what sort of childhood trauma made the various MIT graduates quoted here devote so much time to debunking dreidels. At light speed, via RealPlayer, the site will connect you to hanukkiya-lighting ceremonies all over the world.