Robbie Cooke is set to officially step into the role of the new chief executive officer of Star Entertainment Group on October 17th, at a time when the Australian casino giant is preparing itself for a major corporate culture overhaul.
The appointment of Mr Cooke was officially announced in June 2022, after the former company’s boss Matt Bekier decided to step down after the public inquiry carried out into the company by the gambling regulatory body of New South Wales (NSW) revealed that the casino operator encouraged money laundering and other criminal activity within its venues in the state.
As Casino Guardian previously reported, the inquiry of Bell SC and Gotterson SC in the states of NSW and Queensland, respectively, found Star Entertainment unsuitable to keep its operating permits in the two states. As a result, the company was attacked by local regulatory bodies for having a poor corporate culture that put profit rather than compliance first.
Mr Cooke commented on the revelations of the respective investigations, describing them as confronting. He confirmed that the Star Entertainment’s business had lost its way in a few areas but reiterated his intention to work to restore the group’s suitability to hold NSW and Queensland casino licences.
Star Entertainment Faces a Series of Public Inquiries Following Serious Allegations of Links to Organised Crime
The public inquiries into the operations of the Australian casino giant were rolled out by state regulatory bodies after a number of local media hubs, including The Herald, 60 Minutes, and The Age, reported in 2021 that the company had facilitated money laundering, allowed penetration of organised crime, foreign interference and large-scale fraud in its casino business in Australia for years, even though the company’s board received a warning about Star’s failing anti-money laundering controls.
As Casino Guardian reported at the time, the report of Bell SC found a culture of greed, which put profit first, with the board meaning well but still remaining unaware of the crimes committed under its watch. Similar activity was unveiled at the company’s rival Crown Resorts. In addition, the company faced criticism from Philip Crawford, the head of the NSW Independent Casino Commission, over its quite defensive approach to the probe.
The new CEO of Star Entertainment would be focused on regaining the trust of local regulatory bodies and the company’s 75,000 shareholders and 8,000 workers. Mr Cooke said he was not underestimating the size of the task, considering the process will take a few years, but still, the role was appealing to him. He further shared that the recent strict regulatory measures faced by The Star Entertainment and its main competitor Crown Resorts was quite similar to the 2017 banking royal commission and noted that operating with transparency and integrity was the only way forward.
An independent monitor of Star Entertainment’s operations was appointed by the company as part of the cultural overhaul that has to be carried out so that it is allowed to keep the operating licence of its flagship casino in Sydney.
For the time being, the NSW gambling regulatory body is still considering the response of the casino group to the Bell SC inquiry findings before deciding what course of action to take. The possible regulatory action could even include the revocation of Star Entertainment’s Sydney casino licence permanently, imposing an external manager, as well as imposing monetary penalties on the company.
- Author
Olivia Cole
