New Star casino boss keen to restore trust after inquiry found company unfit to hold licence in Qld

The new boss of Star Entertainment admits there is “no ducking” issues raised in two commissions of inquiry, but is keen to restore trust in the gambling giant.

New Star Casino boss Robbie Cooke will take up the reins of the embattled company almost three months earlier than expected, with the high-profile executive saying he was excited to “roll up his sleeves” and restore trust in the gambling giant.

Mr Cooke’s appointment as new Star Entertainment Group chief executive and managing director was first flagged in June following a global search, and after the resignations of multiple key executives including former chief executive Matt Bekier.

Since then Star has been subjected to a commission of inquiry overseen by esteemed former Judge Robert Gotterson in Queensland, which earlier this month found the gambling group unsuitable to hold a casino licence in the state.

New Star boss Robbie Cooke

Acting chief executive Geoff Hogg, who was a key witness during the inquiry, quit the business late last month about ten days before the review was released.

During the review it was revealed Star’s Queensland casinos had actively lured patrons, banned from New South Wales and Victorian casinos due to suspected links to criminal activity, to gamble in the Sunshine State.

“This all placed the Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane casinos at real jeopardy of infiltration by persons about whom The Star had reason to suspect were likely to have been involved in criminality,” Mr Gotterson said.

The company has also been rocked by allegations of poor money laundering prevention and lack of safe gambling practices.

Mr Cooke said it had been a “bit frustrating being on the sidelines” over the past several months while the company faced the fallout of the inquiry, as well as the equally damning NSW Bell review into its operations.

“Watching has been a bit challenging, and hearing some of the things which have come out of both of the reviews,” he said.

The Queens Wharf development in Brisbane’s CBD

“There’s no ducking that some really serious issues have been raised but what I’ve noticed, even from the outside, is that the company has faced into those issues and shown a commitment to do whatever it takes to rehabilitate those issues.

“I’m super excited to bring forward my start date by close to three months, and very keen to get on board and work with the team.”

One of Mr Cooke’s immediate challenges will be responding to an upcoming show cause notice on the findings, which was expected to be delivered in the coming weeks.

In his review Mr Gotterson accused Star of having a “poor corporate culture”, which he said had led to some of the company’s more questionable actions.

Mr Cooke said culture “is probably the single biggest issue that’s we’ve got to deal with”.

“Both reviews, and the Gotterson review in particular, indicated a need to get the right corporate culture for these kinds of businesses,” he said.

The Dorsett Hotel at The Star Gold Coast

“It’s not something which will change overnight, but it comes down to the way you interact with a team.”

Currently the managing director of fintech Tyro Payments, Mr Cooke will jump straight from that role into the hot seat at Star come Monday.

He said his experience as the group chief executive of Tatts Group from 2013 to 2018 – which included the completion of the merger with Tabcorp – would place him in good stead with dealing with the gaming regulator.

“(It’s important to be) working with our regulators, not working against them. That’s part of running a gambling business,” he said.

“One of the things I prided myself on right through that period (at Tatts Group) was we had an excellent working relationship with our regulator”, saying he was focused on “demonstrating our commitment to operate with the highest integrity”.