William “Si” Redd was known as the King of Slots and was the founder of International Game Technology.
Redd was born in Nov 1911 in Union, Mississippi. At an early age he was interested in pinball machines and had created a successful coin operated machine business while attending the University of Mississippi. Redd eventually moved to Illinois and had a successful career selling amusement machines and Wurlitzer jukeboxes.
He then moved to Reno Nevada in 1967 and formed Bally Distributing Co to serve the casino market. He was successful in selling xx games but believed the future of gaming was video based games. So in 1978 he sold that company to Bally while retaining the rights to develop video gaming devices.
Shortly after he formed a new company called Sircoma which later became known as International Game Technology (IGT). The company’s video reel slots and video poker products became instant hits and IGT went public in 1981. At its peak in the 1990s, IGT held roughly 70% market share of the slot machine market.
In addition to founding IGT, Redd also owned the Oasis hotel and casino in Mesquite Nevada.
Si Redd passed away in 2003 in Solana Beach, California.
Congratulations to Thomas Mikulich and the late William “Si” Redd as inductees into The EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame – Class of 2024. Thank you for your contributions to the gaming industry.