Spa City Kingpin: Owney Madden

Hot Springs, Arkansas-famous for its steamy bathhouses, healing mineral waters, and hidden corridors of crime. While tourists came seeking relaxation, gangsters came seeking refuge. At the heart of it all was Owney Madden, a ruthless former New York crime boss who turned this quiet Southern town into one of the most lucrative gambling havens in America.

From his early days as a street brawler in Hell's Kitchen to his rule over Hot Springs' thriving underworld, Madden was a master of charm and menace. He rubbed elbows with mob legends like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, bribed local law enforcement into submission, and built an empire where illegal casinos thrived in plain sight. The town became a shimmering oasis for gangsters on the run, complete with high-stakes gambling, secret whiskey shipments, and a police force that conveniently looked the other way, for a price.

But the golden age of Hot Springs' underworld couldn't last forever. As federal agents closed in and alliances began to crumble, Madden's iron grip started to slip. Could he outmaneuver the law one last time, or was the king of the Spa City destined to fall?

Spa City Kingpin pulls back the velvet curtain on a world of vice, scandal, and larger-than-life characters, blending true crime with the dazzling excess of an era where the law was just another game to play. Packed with shocking stories, untold secrets, and a cast of gangsters, politicians, and corrupt cops, this is the true story of how Owney Madden built, and lost, one of America's most infamous hidden empires.

Step inside the world of steam and shadows, where the stakes were high, and the house always won.