William J. Bissett is president of Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, overseeing the company’s eight successful gaming and racing operations in New York, Arizona, Florida, West Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment is part of Delaware North Companies, a global leader in hospitality and food service and one of the largest privately held companies in North America with more than $2 billion in revenue and 55,000 employees in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment is one of the most innovative gaming and racing operators in the country, specializing in racing venues with added amenities, including video gaming machines, table games, full-service restaurants, retail shops and lodging. The company oversees more than 6,500 gaming positions across the country, generating $600 million in annual revenue.
As part of a strategic focus to meet challenges and realize opportunities for growth in the company’s gaming business, Bissett was named to the president post in May 2007 after serving as Delaware North’s vice president for external affairs for several years. In that position, he was instrumental in moving forward Delaware North’s broader legislative, new business and market reputation agendas for all of its subsidiaries. He also served as a key adviser to the gaming and racing operations because of his experience, expertise and reputation in the industry.
Bissett joined Delaware North in 1992 as president of the company’s racing operations, then known as Sportsystems. After serving as Sportsystems president for three years, Bissett was named Delaware North’s vice president of business development, where he orchestrated new business efforts nationally and internationally.
He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. A member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, he currently holds a leadership position with the Buffalo State College Council. He resides in Orchard Park, N.Y., with his wife, Kathy.
