Al Faccinto, Jr.

President / Chief Operating Officer MGM MIRAGE International

Story By Jack Sheehan
Illustration By Douglas Fryer

When Al Faccinto Jr. enters a room, you know it. The President and Chief Operating Officer of MGM MIRAGE International is a big man, with an even bigger smile. The man they call "Big Al" understands perfectly why Las Vegas and the hotels his company represents, have everything a visitor could hope for in seeking the ultimate getaway vacation.

"I tell my staff, which numbers 150, that we have the best properties in Las Vegas to market. Whether it's the Villas at The Mirage and Bellagio, or The Mansion at MGM Grand, we have the most luxurious accommodations in the world. Our company has given us virtually everything we need to attract customers. We have Shadow Creek. The entertainment with the Cirque du Soleil shows and Danny Gans is incredible. And while dining used to be something of a question mark in Las Vegas 15 years ago, we now have the greatest chefs and dining in the world. Our Le Cirque, Renoir and Picasso restaurants are among 20 AAA five-diamond restaurants in the U.S. And shopping is unparalleled here. Al Faccinto was literally weaned in the gambling profession. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio in 1950 in a city that was regarded as a little Las Vegas for all its illegal backroom card games and casino activity.

Al's father worked at a gambling joint behind the Rex Cigar Store and at night when the casino closed he would bring home the roulette wheel and hide it under his bed. As a little boy, Al Jr. would play in the casino during the day and learned how to deal cards and cut chips years before he knew the meaning of the word "puberty."

When Al was just five years old, his father and about 20 other Steubenville families decided to move to Las Vegas, where Al Sr. worked at the newly opened Dunes Hotel as a floorman. Soon thereafter he worked downtown for casino owner Jackie Gaughan and acquired a small piece of the El Cortez, Las Vegas Club and Club Bingo. When Caesars Palace opened in 1966, Al Sr. was one of the original owners.

Faccinto Jr., a high-school All American football star who doesn't know the word quit, worked his way through the ranks in the gaming industry, starting as a dealer at the El Cortez downtown.

Fast forward some 20 years later, "When I meet a new potential customer and he tells me he's coming to Las Vegas, to me that's a win for our company, because once he decides to come to Las Vegas I know there's a probability that he will stay at one of our properties. And that's because I truly believe we have the best properties in Las Vegas."

Big Al credits his success to stability at home. "I'm married to my best friend, Kathie," he says, "and we have an amazing daughter, Destinie, who just turned nine. I love all the traveling that goes with my job, but I can never wait to get home."