Bally's Corporation has named George Papanier as the Interim Chief Financial Officer following the resignation of Mira Mircheva from the position due to personal reasons.
Mircheva's departure as Executive Vice President and CFO took effect on Friday. She will continue to assist the company until September 30 to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Effective immediately, Papanier will also maintain his current role as President of Bally's and will continue to serve on the board.
With over 40 years of experience in the gaming sector and being a certified public accountant, Papanier has been leading Bally's land-based casino operations since October 2021.
He previously held the positions of President and CEO of Bally's from February 2011 to October 2021 and joined the company as Chief Operating Officer in 2004. Notably, he also served as Interim CFO earlier this year.
Robeson Reeves, Bally's CEO, expressed gratitude to Mircheva for her contributions and emphasized that Papanier's extensive experience would help maintain stability in the company's financial operations during this transition period.
“With over two decades in significant operational and financial leadership roles at Bally's, George has played a crucial role in shaping our business model, asset portfolio, and growth strategy,” Reeves stated. “He steps into this interim role backed by a skilled finance team, and I am confident that our reporting, controls, and capital market activities will proceed smoothly.”
Mircheva joined Bally's during the February 2025 merger with Queen Casino & Entertainment, which managed four casinos across three states, including DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis. She served as CFO at Queen Casino from 2023 until 2025.
Her resignation comes at a challenging time for the company, which is currently facing liquidity issues. On August 17, Bally's issued a warning regarding its financial stability as part of its second-quarter earnings report, indicating the need to secure additional funds by early next year to meet lender requirements.
Additionally, Bally's is involved in a dispute with the city of Chicago concerning the introduction of video gambling terminals. Last month, the company halted construction on its $1.7 billion casino complex at the former Tribune printing plant in River West, citing the City Council's approval of VGTs as a breach of its host agreement.