The Rackets
Bootleggers, bosses, and backroom empires: how organized crime quietly ran its corner of America.
12 narrated stories — read them here, or hear them all in the app.
Hot Springs
When Capone Came to Hot Springs
How a notorious Chicago boss found ease in Hot Springs.
Sunset Strip
When the Sunset Strip Became Gangland’s Front Room
How glamour, jurisdiction, and violence tangled on the Sunset Strip.
Financial District
When Capone’s Shadow Reached Montgomery Street
A downtown dinner shooting revealed Prohibition’s long, dark reach.
Long Beach
Where Rum Row Met the Breakwater
How sheltered water helped shape Prohibition smuggling off Long Beach.
Long Beach
Three Miles Out, the Law Closed In
How offshore casinos thrived off Southern California, then lost their lifeline to shore.
Tampa
Charlie Wall and Tampa’s White Shadow
How one well-connected gambler came to symbolize Tampa’s vice era.
Russell County
How Phenix City Became the Sin City of the South
A border town, a vice empire, and the killing that changed everything.
Manhattan
Bumpy Johnson and Harlem’s Uptown Empire
How Harlem’s numbers game made Bumpy Johnson a lasting legend.
Harlem
Where Harlem Glamour Met the Gangster Economy
A nightclub’s shine, and the criminal system that powered it.
Manhattan
The Shot That Ended Costello’s Reign
How one failed hit redrew power in New York’s underworld.
Manhattan
The Barber Chair and the Boss
A daylight killing that became a defining New York underworld image.
Dolly's House Museum
Inside Creek Street’s Most Revealing House
A preserved brothel interior opens a window onto Creek Street’s vice economy.
Hear every The Rackets story, hands-free.
TourPods narrates the hidden history, true crime, and local lore of wherever you're standing. Your first 20 stories are free — no credit card required.
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