Star Entertainment poaches Crown’s legal chief Betty Ivanoff

The gaming group has hired its rival’s general counsel as it puts the final touches to its new management team following the damning findings about its operations.

New Star chief executive Robert Cooke is putting the final touches on his management team. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Star Entertainment – the embattled casino operator under significant regulatory scrutiny in NSW and Queensland – has poached the senior Crown Resorts executive who oversaw the company’s legal affairs in the last 12 months.

Betty Ivanoff, who followed ex-chief executive Steve McCann to the then James Packer-owned company in June 2021, will join Star next year as chief legal officer after her six-month non-compete period expires.

Ms Ivanoff has been Crown’s group general counsel and was highly involved in its interactions with gaming regulators in Western Australia, Victoria and NSW in the last 12 months.

Crown faces two royal commission – one in WA and another in Victoria, the latter which found the company was not fit to hold a licence in the state – and an independent Liquor & Gaming Authority investigation in NSW which delayed the opening of its Barangaroo gaming floor.

Ms Ivanoff was also involved in the sale of Crown – then controlled by James Packer’s Consolidated Press Holdings vehicle – to Blackstone for $8.9bn which was completed in June this year.

The arrival of Mr McCann, who left after the Blackstone acquisition was finalised, and Ms Ivanoff at Crown came after the various inquiries made clear the company’s management would need to be overhauled.

Crown was eventually handed a conditional license to operate its Barangaroo gaming floor until the end of the year by ILGA – now known as the NSW independent Casino Commission – and opened its doors in August.

Ms Ivanoff was group director for legal and corporate affairs at Coca-Cola Amatil from 2016 and led the company’s governance and legal functions until it was acquired by Coke Europe for $11.1bn in April 2021.

She has previously held a similar position – group general counsel – for GrainCorp from 2008 to 2016, during which she was involved in the failed $3.4bn acquisition of the agribusiness giant by US-based commodities merchant Archer Daniels Midland. That deal was ultimately blocked by the then treasurer, Joe Hockey, who said it was not in the national interest after vigorous opposition from the National Party.

Ms Ivanoff’s arrival at Star – which has already led to private speculation about whether the casino group is hoping for takeover interest – come as the gaming group confronts multiple regulatory pressures at its casinos.

Star shares have fallen 20 per cent since the start of the year. Shares closed up 1c, or 0.2 per cent, at $3.02 on Wednesday.

Like Crown, the company has completely overhauled its management after investigations in Queensland and NSW, appointing ex-Tyro chief executive Robbie Cooke into the top job and bringing in Scott Wharton as the new Star Sydney chief executive.

Scott Saunders was appointed Star’s chief risk officer in August, joining from Westpac. Previously, Paula Martin had held the joint executive role overseeing risk and legal for the company.

With the appointment of Ms Ivanoff, most major hires for the new management team are in place. Star confirmed Ms Ivanoff’s appointment on Wednesday.

In a note to staff, Mr Cooke described Ms Ivanoff as an “accomplished lawyer and executive with more than 20 years’ experience in ASX listed companies and international organisations”.

An ILGA review into Star’s Sydney operations found the company had set up an “inherently deceptive and unethical process” to ­disguise $900m as hotel expenses in a bid to allow wealthy gamblers to bet at the ­venues, failed to check the source of the money, and knew it was in breach of the rules.

As a result of the findings, the NSW regulator imposed a $100m fine and appointed Nick Weeks, a former NRL and Crown executive, last month to allow the gaming floor to operate.