Twisting the Tiger's Tail: Illegal Gambling French Lick and West Baden Springs

Before Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada there were the two neighboring Southern Indiana towns of French Lick and West Baden Springs, where the wealthy, famous, and even high-level politicians visited and illegal gambling thrived– from a pair of dice rolling across the ground in a back alley, to a back room poker game or the card game of choice, to the tucked away gambling rooms that were hidden in the basement, back room or upstairs of legitimate businesses.  For over 60 years, organized gambling was part of the towns of French Lick and West Baden Springs. Although illegal, all types of gambling thrived in the two towns and surrounding area. It touched almost everyone, men, women, and children, common folks to the elite. This is a look back at those establishments which offered such games of chance, the illegal gambling that thrived in the valley and the individuals involved with the illicit activities.

Paperback. 190 pages. 2023, Kevin Tower Historic Valley Publishing. By Kevin Tower.