Although overshadowed by Las Vegas, Hot Springs was once a hotspot for casino gambling and sports betting—a Babylon in the heart of the Baptist belt. Writer David Hill has deep roots in the Arkansas city and draws in part from family lore for his steamy account of the New York mobsters and their Southern minions, the canny local entrepreneurs and bribe-taking politicians who operated a mecca of vice in the face of state and local laws. A newly elected governor (1966) who kept his vow to “clean up” Arkansas—coupled with the unchecked growth of Vegas—spelled the end of Hot Springs’ run. The city has gone quiet, but legal casino operators are making a tentative comeback.
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