Louisville Gambling Barons

Louisville experienced a golden age of gambling between 1860 and 1885, thanks to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers by steamboat and foot. They played faro, keno, roulette and other games of chance, such as chuck-a-luck. Entire city blocks were devoted to betting. Horse racing and lotteries emerged. Gaming houses became grand palaces, with names such as the Crockford, the Crawford and the Turf Exchange, frequented by famous gamb...