NorthStar Gaming appointed Corey Goodman as its permanent chief executive on August 17, 2026, while audits for fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025 remained unfinished. The Ontario operator also announced changes to its finance team as it works to resolve its reporting problems.

Goodman had served as interim chief executive since December 8, 2025. The board said he led financial and operational stabilization efforts and work to address the outstanding reporting matters. NorthStar Gaming said the appointment reflected that work.

Finance changes during the audit backlog

Chief Financial Officer Chin Dhushenthen resigned on August 17. He will remain involved as an adviser during the audit process.

Ben Powell, a long-time NorthStar executive and CFA charterholder, became interim chief financial officer on the same date. NorthStar also appointed Krisztina Kalla as vice-president of compliance.

The company said it had strengthened its accounting function and hired a Chartered Professional Accountant on a consulting basis to support the audits. NorthStar Gaming said Davidson & Company LLP planned to complete the work concurrently later in 2026.

Davidson & Company LLP plans to complete the three audits concurrently later in 2026, according to NorthStar Gaming.

The timetable is a company projection, not a filing date. Until the work is completed, audited financial statements for the three fiscal years covered by the backlog remain unavailable to investors.

Regulatory pressure preceded the leadership change

The reporting problem escalated on May 7, 2026, when the Ontario Securities Commission issued a failure-to-file cease trade order after NorthStar missed filings related to its 2025 audited annual statements.

The company also said its former auditor had withdrawn its report on financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2024.

NorthStar attributed the delays to additional audit work involving systems and controls at a material technology vendor. The company disputed the former auditor’s position on the reliability of those controls. NorthStar Gaming said the issues were connected to the audit process.

KPMG resigned as NorthStar’s auditor effective May 29. Davidson & Company was appointed successor auditor on July 2, subject to ratification at the company’s next annual meeting. NorthStar Gaming announced the change.

What the delay means for the turnaround

NorthStar’s February operating plan targeted about C$3 million in annualized general and administrative savings. Management also said it was seeking better advertising efficiency, tighter vendor spending and improved operating leverage.

  • About C$3 million in targeted annualized general and administrative savings
  • Improved advertising efficiency
  • Tighter vendor spending
  • Continued discussions with the senior lender

The company’s 2025 third-quarter disclosure warned that liquidity might not be sufficient to fund operations and meet certain debt-related covenants without further action.

The audit backlog creates a separate test for the turnaround. NorthStar must complete the three audits, file the required financial reports and address the consequences of the cease trade order.

The reporting delays also affect shareholder oversight. The company postponed its annual meeting after the May reporting failure. That meeting is needed for shareholders to consider matters that require their approval, including the successor auditor’s appointment.

Ontario operations are a separate regulatory question

The securities dispute concerns NorthStar Gaming Holdings, the listed parent company. NorthStar’s August 17 release described NorthStarBets.ca as operating under an agreement with iGaming Ontario and registration with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

A cease trade order affecting the listed parent is not the same as a suspension of an Ontario gaming registration. Any change to the operator’s ability to offer gambling in Ontario would depend on the province’s regulatory and market-access authorities.

For investors, the next major milestone is the completion and filing of the three audits. For the Ontario market, the central question is whether NorthStar can stabilize its finances while maintaining its regulated operating arrangements.