When Sid Vaikunta, the previous president of the Star Casino in Sydney was fired for sexual harassment, it created a national scandal with a story that included elected officials and illicit drugs. Frederic Luvisutto was brought in from owner Echo Entertainment’s Gold Coast property, Jupiters casino, and was able to stabilize the operations at the property. But last week Luvisutto departed, reportedly accepting a job with Wynn Macau.
The departure comes at a bad time for the company. Echo just lost a two-year battle to maintain its monopoly on the Sydney market, which expires in 2019 when James Packer’s Crown Sydney is expected to debut. The company also is in a battle with Crown in Brisbane, where Crown is bidding to open a casino to compete with Echo’s Treasury casino.
Echo CEO John Redmond will serve as managing director of the Star until a successor for Luvisutto is named.
