One of the 18 employees of Crown Resorts, a leading Australian casino company, who were arrested by the Chinese government in October has been released from detention. Jenny Jiang, who worked in administration for the gaming company in Shanghai and arrested under suspicion of illicit gambling-related activities, has been released on bail.
There have been no reports concerned the remaining employees, three of whom are Australian nationals, including Jason O’Connor, Crown’s head of international VIP business. According to Australian government officials, China has approximately one week remaining to charge the employees, who were first detained on Oct 14.
The arrests have raised concerns that the Australian casino company are relying too heavily on wealthy Chinese customers, especially when advertising and promoting gambling is outlawed in mainland China. As part of an anticorruption drive, President Xi Jinping has led the crackdown on gambling by Chinese government officials outside China.
Shares of Crown Resorts and the main competitor Star Entertainment Group Ltd., have fallen since the arrest of 18 employees, and the possibility of revenue from China in the future remains uncertain.
