William J. Bissett is president of Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, overseeing the company’s eight successful gaming and destinations in New York, Arizona, Florida, West Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is part of Delaware North Companies, a global leader in hospitality and food service.With more than $2.6 billion in annual revenue and 55,000 employees in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, Delaware North is one of the largest privately held companies in the world.
 
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. Among the company’s top casino properties are Jumer’s Casino & Hotel in Rock Island, Ill., and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack in West Virginia.
 
Since Bissett was named president in 2007, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment has expanded its gaming business – both organically with expansions and new entirely new facilities at in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Hamburg, N.Y., near Buffalo, as well as through the 2011 acquisition of Jumer’s
 
Prior to that, Bissett served 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.
 
Bissett earned 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.