Hot Springs: Illegal Gambling Mecca, Criminal Hangout

Albert Anastasia, Alphonse "Al/Scarface" Capone, Anti-Gambling / Anti-Casino Efforts, Arkansas, Arkansas Club (Hot Springs, AR), Arlington Hotel (Hot Springs, AR), Belvedere Club (Hot Springs, AR), Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Bridge Club (Hot Springs, AR), Casino History, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling, Edward P. Jones, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello, Frank Nitti, Gambling, Gambling History, Gambling Laws / Regulations: AK Local Option Horse Racing and Greyhound Racing Electronic Games of Skill Act of 2005, Games / Races: Dog Racing, Games / Races: Horse Racing, Gaming History, George "Bugs" Moran, H. Dane Harris, Hot Springs--Arkansas, Illinois Club (Hot Springs, AR), Indiana Club (Hot Springs, AR), It Really Happened, Jack McJunkins, Joe Adonis, Kentucky Club (Hot Springs, AR), Meyer Lansky, Mickey Cohen, Mobsters / Gangsters / Syndicate Members (Alleged) / Organizations, Oaklawn Park Race Track (Hot Springs, AR), Ohio Club (Hot Springs, AR), Owney "The Killer" Madden, Politicians / Politics: AK Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, Ralph "Bottles" Capone, Sam "Golf Bag" Hunt, Sam "Momo" Giancana, Southern Club (Hot Springs, AR), Ted Roe, United States, Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo, William "Bill" JacobsLeave a comment

1860s-1960s “The loose buckle in the Bible Belt” and “Las Vegas before Las Vegas had water” — these were Hot Springs, as described in the press (Hot Springs, 2013). This Central Arkansas city boasted illegal, yet wide-open, gambling for about a century, from the late 1860s until the late 1960s, making it the only United…