This book offers the first full-length biography of the man often described as one of the most influential and innovative people in the gaming industry over the past 50 years.
King of the Slots: William "Si" Redd relates the fascinating, only-in-America success story of one man's improbable rise from the depths of poverty to the heights of international commerce and dazzling wealth. William Silas "Si" Redd is recognized as one of the most important and influential persons in the gaming industry over the past half century. The company he founded, International Game Technology (IGT), is the world leader in the manufacture of gaming equipment and gaming software features. His video poker is the most popular slot machine since the original debuted in 1899.
King of the Slots covers the life (1911-2003) and rags-to-riches story of the man who changed the face of the casino gaming industry. Both a business book and a biography, it introduces readers to the nation's leading gaming centers, Apollo-era technology and how it changed gambling, and the race to perfect the first video poker game. It also gives them a chance to meet the characters with whom Redd rubbed shoulders, including Howard Hughes, Mafia capo Raymond Patriarca, Arizona cowboy and pig farmer Jimmie Hughes, gaming legend Bill Harrah, and casino visionary Jay Sarno.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Illustrations and Tables
Acknowledgments
1. The Neshoba County Fair
2. A Goofy Beginning
3. Music to His Ears
4. The Music Goes Round and Round
5. The Luckiest Man Alive
6. The Biggest Little City
7. New Beginnings
8. A Quiet Revolution
9. An Ace in the Hole
10. King of the Slots
11. A Kaleidoscopic Life
12. Cruises to Nowhere
13. An Oasis in the Desert
14. Aces and Eights
Notes
Bibliography
Index
