William J. Bissett is president of Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, a global leader in hospitality and food service. With more than $2 billion in annual revenue and 50,000 employees, it is one of the largest privately held companies in the world.
Bissett oversees the company's successful gaming operations in New York, Arizona, Florida, West Virginia and Arkansas. 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, Bissett was instrumental in moving Delaware North’s broader legislative, new business and market reputation agendas forward for all of its subsidiaries.
Bissett joined Delaware North in 1992 as president of the company’s racing operations, then known as Sportsystems. Prior to joining Delaware North, he was executive director of the Illinois Racing Board from 1984 to 1988 and held positions at the Supreme Court of Wisconsin and in the Kentucky Attorney General's Office. 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 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 leadership positions with the Buffalo State College Council and the Buffalo-Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau.
