Bugsy Siegel named his Las Vegas casino "The Flamingo" for the long legs of his showgirl sweetheart, Virginia Hill. |
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How the CPU changed the face of gaming
In 1971, Intel released a new variety of integrated circuit, one which would change the face of the world as we know it. It became known as the microprocessor, or CPU. Today, CPUs are found in everything from automobiles to pacemakers to dishwashers. The omnipresence of the CPU, of course, is not limited to everyday personal goods. It has also changed the very nature of gaming.
At first, CPUs were put to use in large calculators and huge computers that were housed in massive datacenters to perform mathematical operations of greater complexity and more quickly than ever before. However, in 1979, a gentleman by the name of Si Redd put their mathematical power to a rather different use, behind the scenes in a very new kind of casino game entitled 'Draw 80 Poker', the earliest commercial form of what we know today as video poker.
The earliest machines were produced by Redd's company, SIRCOMA (Si Redd's Coin Operated MAchines). Soon, SIRCOMA became IGT (International Game Technology), which is to this day the dominant producer of computerized slot equipment as well as many other technological products for the gaming industry.
Last Updated (Friday, 05 February 2010 23:50)
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