Nickname that applies to many cities with vice scenes
Sin City is a nickname that may be applied to an urban area (a city or part of) that caters to various vices. These vices may be legal (depending on area) or illegal activities which are tolerated.
Examples of such vices include sex-related services (prostitution, strip clubs, sex shops, etc.), gambling (casinos, betting shops, etc.), or drug use (alcohol, marijuana, etc. consumption), and even excessive organized crime and gang activity. If the city is known for prostitution, it is often called a red-light district, as in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sin Cities in the world
Cities or areas that have this reputation include:
Africa
Asia
- Bahrain
- China
- India
- Mumbai (drinking, drugs, gambling, prostitution, organized crime)[8][9]
- Israel
- Lebanon
- Beirut (prostitution, strip clubs, cabarets, drugs, drinking, clubbing).[11][5]
- Philippines
- Thailand
- Bangkok (prostitution,[13] strip clubs, sex shows, scams, BDSM, brothels, massage parlors, cabarets, go-go bars, drugs, drinking, clubbing)[5]
- Pattaya (prostitution, strip clubs, sex shows, BDSM, brothels, massage parlors, cabarets, go-go bars, drugs, drinking, clubbing)[14][5]
Europe
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Prague (prostitution, organized crime, police corruption, clubbing, strip clubs, brothels)[17][5]
- The Netherlands
- Amsterdam (prostitution, brothels, strip clubs, sex shops, sex shows, marijuana consumption)[2][5]
- Russia
- Moscow (organized crime, gangs, clubbing, drinking, drugs, police corruption, political corruption, prostitution, strip clubs)[2][5]
- Spain
- Malta
- United Kingdom
North America
- Canada
- Montreal became well known as one of North America's "sin cities" with unparalleled nightlife, a reputation it still holds today. In part, its bustling nightlife is attributed to its relatively late "last call" (3 a.m.), a large university population, the drinking age of 18, and the excellent public transportation system combines with other aspects of the Montreal culture to make the city's nightlife unique. The diversity of the clubs in Montreal attests to the popularity of its nightlife, with night clubs, pubs, bars and singing bars ("boîte à chanson"), Latin clubs, African clubs, jazz clubs, lounges, after-hours houses, and strip clubs all attracting different types of customers.
- Mexico
- Tijuana (drugs, prostitution, drinking, police corruption, strip clubs)[2]
- United States
- Alabama
- California
- Los Angeles[22] and its Hollywood district (bank robberies, porn industry, sex-publishing industries, tabloids, prostitution (Sunset & Vine); also includes police corruption, nightclubs, drugs, drinking, strip clubs, gangs.)[5]
- San Francisco (organized crime, gangs, drugs, and prostitution)[23]
- Florida
- Miami (gangs, organized crime, drug trafficking, prostitution, drinking, political and police corruption, scams, strip clubs)[5]
- Illinois
- Calumet City (organized crime, illegal alcohol consumption, gambling, prostitution)[24]
- Chicago (organized crime, political and police corruption)[25]
- Kentucky
- Newport is the first city within North America to be coined the title due to its role in prostitution, gambling, gangs, gunplay, racketeering, and many others.[26]
- Nevada
- Las Vegas (gambling, bookmaking, easy marriage, easy divorce, organized crime, prostitution [however, prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas and Clark County], strip clubs, cabarets, clubbing, 24-hour liquor sales [as in all of Nevada];[27][5] quote: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."). In former days it was known also for organized crime and police and political corruption.
- Reno[28] (gambling, drinking, strip clubs, clubbing, easy marriage, easy divorce, prostitution [however, prostitution is illegal in Reno and Washoe County] 24-hour liquor sales [as in all of Nevada]).
- New Jersey
- Atlantic City (gambling, bookmaking, organized crime, drinking, prostitution, clubbing, and strip clubs)[5] (Known as the World Famous Playground) (In the old days it was known also for organized crime, police corruption, and political corruption).[29]
- New York
South America
- Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro (male & female prostitution, scams, notorious prison system, police corruption, political corruption, drinking, drugs, favelas, gangs, clubbing)[2][5]
- Colombia
- Medellin (police corruption, prostitution, drinking, drugs, gangs, clubbing)[30]
- Venezuela
- Caracas (scams, prison system corruption, police corruption, political corruption, prostitution, organized crime, drinking, drugs, slums, gangs, robbery, clubbing, drug trafficking, violence)[5]
Oceania
- Australia
- Kings Cross, New South Wales – A historically notorious inner-city of Sydney, although this reputation is outdated with the imposition of new lockout laws in February 2014 changing the character of the area dramatically, and arguably eliminating the only "sin city" in Australia.[31] (Prostitution, brothels, gambling (illegal and legal), organized crime, bikie gangs (to an extent), police corruption, drugs, strip clubs, drinking, excessive, drunken and random violence.)[5]
- New Zealand