A Crown Resorts employee who has spent this past month in custody in Mainland China was released on bail on Friday, local media reported. It is understood that the person is a Chinese citizen and a junior staff member at the major casino operator.
Last month, Chinese police detained eighteen Crown Resorts employees, three Australians and fifteen Chinese, as part of a nationwide probe into the alleged provision of illegal gambling-related services. Jason O’Connor, a senior executive at the company charged with its international VIP business, was also among those arrested.
Although no comprehensive information was provided by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is believed that the eighteen individuals were detained while touring around Mainland China and looking for high roller players.
Casino gambling is illegal in the East Asian country with the only exception of its special administrative region Macau. As a result, well-to-do players from Mainland China have long been traveling either to the above-mentioned city or to other popular gambling destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.
It is a common practice for gambling operators to send agents to look for high rollers and attract them to their casinos with alluring packages. Under China’s strict gambling-related laws, such agents are allowed to organize groups of up to ten players to travel abroad for gambling purposes. Violators may face up to three years in prison. However, casino operators have found ways to avoid regulations by offering potential customers destination packages for their resorts and not just for casino floors.
According to Australian media, China has 37 days from the moment of detention to charge the Crown Resorts staff members. The arrests took place around October 13-14.
The recent detentions cast yet another shadow over the global gambling industry after Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a corruption crackdown back in 2013 that led to high roller players steering away from Macau and other popular casino destinations. As a result, gaming revenue in the world’s largest gambling mecca dipped significantly and casino companies operating in the region started looking for new ways to bring their most valued customers back to their premises.
The October arrests are believed to cause further withdrawal of well-to-do casino clients from Asian-Pacific gambling resorts.
In 2015, Chinese police arrested around 50 South Korean casino managers and agents for alluring potential customers with free tours and packages with a multitude of services, the legality of which was extremely questionable.
