William Redd, also known as Si Redd (1911–2003) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of International Game Technology, a slot machine manufacturer and distributor. He was the owner of the Oasis, a hotel and casino in Mesquite, Nevada. He was the rightsholder of video poker, and he became known as the "king of slot machines".[1]
William Redd | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 16, 1911 Union, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | October 14, 2003 (aged 92) Solana Beach, California, U.S. |
| Education | East Central Junior College University of Mississippi |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Spouse | 3 |
| Children | 2 daughters |
Early life edit
Redd was born on November 16, 1911, in Union, Mississippi.[2][1][3] His father was a sharecropper.[2] He grew up in Philadelphia, Mississippi.[4]
Redd attended East Central Junior College in Decatur, Mississippi,[2] and he graduated from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.[1][4]
Career edit
Redd began his career in college, when he invested in a pinball machine in a small eatery in Mississippi.[2] He subsequently founded Northwestern Music Co., and he distributed Wurlitzer jukeboxes in Sterling, Illinois, and Dixon, Illinois, with his brother-in-law.[2][4] He subsequently became a distributor for Bally Manufacturing in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] In 1967, he moved on to the Reno, Nevada, market.[2] Redd founded a subsidiary, Bally Distribution Co.,[2][5] and he distributed jukeboxes in Carson City, Nevada, and Las Vegas.[1] He also acquired the rights to video poker.[4] In 1975, he founded Sircoma,[5] later known as the International Game Technology, a slot machine manufacturer and distributor based in Reno, Nevada.[2] He sold it to Gtech in 1986, and he served on its board of directors until 1991.[2]
Redd developed Pride of Mississippi, a gaming boat off the coast of Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico,[1] but it went bankrupt and he lost US$20 million in it.[2] He was the owner of Oasis, a hotel and casino in Mesquite, Nevada, from 1976 to 2001.[4] He sold it for US$31 million.[2] Meanwhile, he founded the Mesquite Vistas Land Development Co. and the Oasis Golf Course.[1]
Redd was inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 1991,[4][6] and the Nevada Business Hall of Fame in 2002.[7]
Philanthropy edit
Redd made charitable contributions to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas,[2] where he was a member of the UNLV Gift Club Palladium Society.[1] Moreover, the Si Redd Room and the Redd Vision video screen scoreboard at the Thomas & Mack Center are named in his honor.[1] He received the Chin's Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 2001.[4]
Redd founded the Las Vegas International Cultural Trade Center and Wild Animal Conservancy.[4] He donated US$150,000 to Problem Gambling Consultants, a non-profit organization for gambling addicts.[1]
Personal life, death and legacy edit
Redd was married three times. His first wife, Ivy Lee, died in 1974.[2] His second wife, Marilyn, died in 1996.[2] His third wife, Tamara, outlived him.[2] He had two daughters, Vinnie Copeland and Sherry Green.[2] He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada, and summered in Solana Beach, California.[1][2] He was a member of the Las Vegas Country Club.[4]
Redd died on October 14, 2003, in Solana Beach, California.[2][5] He was 91 years old.[2][5] His funeral was held at the Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1]
His son-in-law, Alan Green, served as the chief executive of the Mesquite Vistas Land Development Co. and the Oasis Golf Course. Alan passed away on June 18, 2021 in Naples, FL.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Gaming pioneer known for invention, generosity dies". Las Vegas Sun. October 15, 2003. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s McLellan, Dennis (October 19, 2003). "William Redd, 91; Gambling's Visionary 'King of Video Poker'". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ "William 'Si' Redd". The San Diego Union-Tribune. October 20, 2003. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Payback: Gaming pioneer Redd looks back on a lifetime of giving to those in need". Las Vegas Sun. June 25, 2001. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "William Redd, 91; Led Slot Machine Maker". The New York Times. October 17, 2003. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ "William "Si" Redd". Gaming Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ "Business Hall of Fame Inductee: Si Redd". Lee Business School. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 11 September 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
Further reading edit
- Harpster, Jack (2010). King of the Slots: William "Si" Redd. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ISBN 9780313382086. OCLC 560552724.
External links edit
- Si Redd on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's Lee Business School's YouTube channel