Bally’s CFO Mira Mircheva resigns, Papanier named interim CFO

Her resignation took effect on 4 September, and president George Papanier, who held the same interim post in 2023, steps in while the board searches for a permanent appointment.

Bally’s Corporation has lost its chief financial officer three weeks after warning that it may not be able to continue as a going concern. Mira Mircheva notified the board on 30 August 2026 that she intended to resign as executive vice president and chief financial officer, and the company confirmed the departure in a press release on 3 September.

What the filing says

Mircheva is leaving, citing personal reasons. Her resignation took effect on 4 September, though she will remain with Bally’s until 30 September to hand over. The Form 8-K states that her resignation was not the result of any dispute with Bally’s.

George Papanier, Bally’s president, became interim chief financial officer on 4 September and keeps his existing roles as president and a member of the board. The board has begun a search for a permanent appointment.

Papanier has held the role before

Papanier is a certified public accountant who joined Bally’s as chief operating officer in 2004. He was president and chief executive officer from February 2011 to October 2021, has led the land-based casino operations as president since then, and served as interim chief financial officer once before, in 2023.

Robeson Reeves, chief executive officer of Bally’s Corporation, said in the announcement:

‘Having spent more than two decades in key operating and financial leadership roles at Bally’s, George has been instrumental in developing our business model, asset portfolio, and growth strategy. He steps into the interim role supported by an experienced finance organization and I am confident that our reporting, controls and capital markets work will continue without disruption.’

Mircheva was appointed on 5 March 2025, subject to regulatory approvals, succeeding Marcus Glover. She had been chief financial officer of The Queen Casino & Entertainment, which Bally’s absorbed through its February 2025 merger with Standard General affiliates.

The balance sheet Mircheva leaves behind

Bally’s reported second-quarter revenue of $792.2 million on 14 August, up 20.5% year on year. The net loss attributable to the company of $146.1 million and the going concern disclosure both appear in the Form 10-Q for the quarter. 

Long-term debt stood at $4.51 billion at 30 June, or $4.47 billion excluding the portion due within a year. Cash fell to $390.2 million from $798.4 million at the end of 2025, and the group used $265.9 million in operating cash over the first half.

Bally’s lenders waived the leverage covenant on its revolving credit facility in May, on condition that the company holds a minimum level of liquidity. Bally’s said its current forecasts do not show it meeting that condition, and that its financing plans, which include asset sales, an equity sale, and new debt, do not remove the substantial doubt.

What it means for the evoke deal

The change lands partway through the largest transaction in the group. Evoke shareholders approved Bally’s Intralot’s all-share acquisition on 17 August, and the court sanction hearing is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027. The search for a permanent finance chief will run alongside that timetable.

The post Bally’s CFO Mira Mircheva resigns, Papanier named interim CFO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.