Depression Era Memoir, 'The Secret Casino at Red Men's Hall' is Released

By: Jun. 23, 2014
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Marlton, NJ

For decades, Red's Men's Hall in the center of Mt. Holly, New Jersey served as an illegal high stakes gambling hall for the underbelly of society.

Sam Valenza Sr. ran the casino and dedicated his life to operating mafia gambling casinos around the country. While he lived high life, his family wallowed in poverty and was frequently endangered by his illegal activities. His youngest son, Sam Valenza Jr. tells his father's and his own story in his recently released memoir, "The Secret Casino at Red Men's Hall".

"The book follows my life as I grow and realize that my father's reputation is a heavy burden to carry," Valenza Jr. said. "This story is an expose of the collateral damage from his life among criminals, and the struggle of his youngest son to survive it."

Valenza Jr. provides an inside look at the impact that running a illegal gambling casino had on an average New Jersey family.

"The Secret Casino at Red Men's Hall: Big Time Gambling in a Small New Jersey Town"
By Sam Valenza Jr.
Price: $30.95
ISBN: 1-4917-1844-5
Available at: Amazon, iUniverse and Barnes and Noble online bookstores

About the Author
Samuel W. Valenza Jr. grew up in shadows of World War II and amid the burgeoning Mafia presence in his native New Jersey. He served in the US Marines and at the US Naval Academy before earning his BA in math from Rutgers. In 1980 he created Lottery Player's Magazine, which became the largest paid circulation magazine in the gaming industry and eventually evolved into Lottery and Gaming News. He and his wife, Dorothy, live in Evesham Township, New Jersey, in an historic 171 year-old farmhouse.



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