William Hornbuckle

William J. (Bill) Hornbuckle IV is CEO and President of MGM Resorts International, (MGM) headquartered in Paradise, Nevada

William Hornbuckle discovered his interest in hospitality at age 18 while working as a bartender in Connecticut. After learning about the "hotel school" at UNLV, he drove across the country in a van with his friends to pursue a hospitality career. He started his career in Las Vegas as a room service attendant and busboy at the Jockey Club before being promoted to his first managerial role as an assistant hotel manager at the then Flamingo Hilton.

Hornbuckle went on to work at a variety of Las Vegas resorts before joining MGM. He worked for years at the Golden Nugget. He was on the opening team of The Mirage, which at the time was the largest hotel in the world. As President and CEO, Hornbuckle also oversaw the $625 million refurbishment of Caesers Palace, one of the most notable properties on the Las Vegas strip.

Hornbuckle joined the MGM Resorts International team in 1998 as Executive Vice President of Operations at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, and half a year later he became President and Chief Operating Officer at the same property. He held that role until 2001.Throughout his two decades with MGM, he has served in a number of roles including President and Chief Operating Officer of Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and MGM Resorts' Chief Marketing Officer. Under his leadership in that capacity, MGM Resorts created and launched its customer loyalty program, M Life Rewards. The program was later enhanced and became MGM Rewards to allow both gaming and non-gaming guests to earn credits towards rewards, including dining, entertainment, travel and hotel stays.

In 2012, Hornbuckle was appointed President of MGM Resorts International, and in 2019 he became Chief Operating Officer and President of MGM Resorts International.In these roles he led the development of MGM Resorts in National Harbor, Springfield, Macau, and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Hornbuckle was appointed as Acting CEO in March 2020, immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic began.He immediately faced numerous challenges and led the company through the closure of operations, restricted re-openings and implementation of new health and safety measures. He was named CEO and President on July 29, 2020.He assumed this role from Jim Murren, who was Chairman & CEO from 2008 to 2020.

Hornbuckle has played a key role in expanding MGM Resorts' and Las Vegas' hotel, entertainment and sports betting attractions. In 2016, Hornbuckle was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to serve on the Clark County Stadium Authority Board, which developed the Las Vegas NFL Stadium Project as part of a successful effort to attract an NFL team, the Raiders, to Las Vegas. He also played a key role in bringing the WNBA team, the Aces, to Las Vegas in 2017, making it the city's first major professional basketball team.

Hornbuckle is leading MGM's expansion into Japan. The company was selected as the Osaka region's integrated resort partner for a $10 billion development that will be one of Japan's first integrated resorts. He is also leading MGM's expansion into iGaming and sports betting. BetMGM, the company's online gaming platform, is currently active in many jurisdictions where the activity is legal, and Hornbuckle is leading the company to invest in the continued growth of BetMGM and the digital market