The question came after we drove through Newport, KY on our way home and my son watched a YouTube video about Newport.

"Dad... was Newport really run by the mob?"

Honestly, I didn't know.

So I did some digging when we got home.

Turns out, Newport wasn't just known for gambling.

Newport was one of the most notorious vice cities in America.

By the 1940s and 1950s, it had earned the nickname "The Sin City of the South."

More than 30 casinos, countless bookies, strip clubs, and after-hours bars packed Monmouth Street, drawing thousands of visitors from nearby Cincinnati every weekend.

One of the biggest names tied to Newport was Cleveland mob boss Moe Dalitz, who helped finance and operate the famous Beverly Hills Country Club.

The club became a hotspot for celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, but it was also part of a gambling empire that attracted organized crime figures from across the country.

At one-point, illegal slot machines were so common they sat in gas stations, restaurants, and neighborhood bars as if they belonged there.

By the early 1960s, state officials finally had enough. Raids shut down casinos, corrupt politicians were investigated, and Newport slowly transformed into the family-friendly riverfront city we know today.

So yes, buddy...

For a while, Newport really was run by gamblers and gangsters.

It's hard to believe when the biggest attraction there today is watching penguins swim at the aquarium.