Crown chief Ken Barton likely to receive $3m payout after stepping down from casino giant

Helen Coonan to take dual role of chief executive and chair, an arrangement previously criticised as compromising board's independence

Crown Resorts chief executive Ken Barton has stepped down and will probably walk away with at least a $3m payout as the beleaguered casino giant takes urgent steps to restore its suitability in the wake of the Bergin report.

But Barton's departure has forced Crown to return to having an executive chairman for the time being, an arrangement that has been criticised in the past as compromising the independence of the board.