Tilman J. Fertitta, a Houston native, is an accomplished businessman and recognized as a world leader in the dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming industries and is referred by Forbes as “the world’s richest restaurateur.” Fertitta is the sole owner of Fertitta Entertainment which owns the restaurant giant Landry’s, Golden Nugget Hotel and Casinos, and the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

Through his restaurant and hospitality company Landry’s, Fertitta owns more than 600 properties in 36 states and in over 15 countries. He is also one of the largest employers in the nation with more than 50,000 employees. His restaurants include a signature collection of more than 60 award-winning restaurant concepts such as Catch, Mastro’s Steakhouse and Ocean Club, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Palm, Chart House, Landry’s Seafood House, Rainforest Cafe, Saltgrass Steak House, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and many more.

He also owns and operates hospitality and entertainment venues, including the iconic Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino brand, currently with seven locations throughout the United States, including Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Laughlin, NV; Atlantic City, NJ; Biloxi, MS. Cripple Creek, CO and Lake Charles, LA. Fertitta also launched into the online internet gaming world in the state of New Jersey with GoldenNuggetCasino.com and has been recognized as the top iGaming operator in the country, receiving the top iGaming operator of the year award for four consecutive years, he rapidly expanded into other states across the US. Just recently, he merged Golden Nugget Online Gaming into DraftKings and remains one of DraftKings largest shareholders.

Fertitta’s hotel division boasts two Forbes Five-Star properties, the oceanfront property Montage Laguna Beach Resort Hotel and Texas’s only Forbes Five-Star Hotel and Spa, The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston. Fertitta’s Post Oak Hotel encompasses Houston’s premiere luxury shopping destination, the River Oaks District, as well as Post Oak Motor Cars, an award-winning dealership home to Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Bugatti. In addition, he owns the historic Huntting Inn in the East Hamptons, the AAA Four-Diamond award-winning The San Luis Resort, Spa and Convention Center, The Westin Houston Downtown, and many other notable regional hotels. His entertainment destinations include the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Kemah Boardwalk, Downtown Aquarium Denver, Nashville and Houston and Tower of The Americas in San Antonio which are all featured on the Forbes, Travel Channel and USA Today’s top five lists of attractions.

Fertitta purchased the NBA’s Houston Rockets in 2017 for a record at the time of $2.2 billion and is the sole owner of the team. During his first year as owner, the Rockets advanced to the Western Conference Finals and set the franchise record for the most wins in a single season.

An influential business figure, Fertitta starred in his own TV show on CNBC called Billion Dollar Buyer. Fertitta first debuted on the Forbes 400 list in 2012 and is frequently featured in the nation’s top financial and industry publications. He is also a frequent guest of prominent national business and sports programs on networks like CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg, ESPN, and Fox. He is considered one of the foremost authorities in the restaurant, gaming, entertainment and hospitality industries and released his first business book “Shut up and Listen” with HarperCollins Publishing in September 2019, which skyrocketed to New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publishers Weekly best sellers lists, as well as being listed as the #1 Business Book for new releases on Amazon within the first week.

Fertitta’s many personal honors include - Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernst & Young and induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame as the second youngest inductee, Amusement Today’s Person of the Year, Casino Journal’s Executive of the Year and is one of Restaurant News’ top executives almost yearly. In honor of his contributions to the travel and tourism industry in Texas, Fertitta was the recipient of the Texas Travel Industry Association’s Heritage Award, Restaurateur of the Year by the Greater Houston Restaurant Association and named Executive of the Year by the Houston Sports Authority.

Fertitta believes in the importance of giving back to the community and devotes a substantial amount of time to civic service and charitable organizations. He is currently serving his tenth year as Chairman of the Board of Regents - University of Houston. In May 2022, Fertitta gave $50 million to the University of Houston College of Medicine naming the school the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, bringing a new era of innovation and equitable health care to Houstonians and residents throughout Texas. In 2016, Fertitta contributed $20 million dollars to fund the University of Houston Basketball team's arena to be named “Fertitta Center,” which opened in December 2018. Additionally, he serves as Chairman of the Board - Houston Children’s Charity and Chairman of the Board – Houston Police Foundation. As a long-time supporter of the Houston Police Department, Fertitta donated $2.5 million in 2019 to build The Tilman Fertitta Family Tactical Training Center helping the city’s officers and recruits with state-of-the-art technology and realistic, scenario-based training. He is also on the Executive Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is one of the nation's largest charitable organizations.