Australian Crown execs held in China
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Oct 17, 2016
'Crown believes that a number of our employees in China are being questioned by local authorities and at this time we can provide no further details, ' a spokesman for the company said din a statement.
"Consular officials are seeking to confirm these reports with the relevant Chinese authorities", a spokesperson at Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg News. It said the case remained under investigation.
Crown is also yet to speak to any of its 18 employees who were detained last Thursday and Friday in raids across mainland China, including senior executive Jason O'Connor.
"Crown is staying in close contact with and is providing support to the families of our employees in China and Australia".
Among them are three top Australian executives, including Jason O'Connor, Crown Resort's Executive General Manager of global VIP services, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Crown Resorts Crown Towers hotel, part of the Crown Melbourne casino and entertainment complex.
"It's quite standard to do this type of marketing activity in China".
The Financial Review has been told police raided the houses of Crown employees in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu and some of those targeted were involved in "VIP relations".
However, it is unclear if the sales pressure is related to the Crown staff being detained. Star has no offices in China and its sales staff are in other worldwide locations. "This is something that has never happened before".
"For Crown, VIPs might be more wary about going there right now as it is on the radar of Chinese authorities", one industry insider said.
Gaming companies are not allowed to explicitly advertise gambling in China.
A Crown Resorts spokesman confirmed yesterday that the company believed Jason O'Connor, the head of its VIP worldwide team which tries to lure high-rollers to its venues, was among those detained.
But the more immediate concern is the future of the 18 Crown employees, three of which are Australian, that are now said to be undergoing questioning from Chinese authorities.
DFAT said under consular agreements, Chinese officials had three days to notify Australian officials of the detention of any citizens.
Crown is a major player in Macau operating three casinos. However, China does permit operators to promote their hotels and resorts where the casinos are located.
Gambling is considered illegal in the Chinese mainland, but Macao remains the only city which can operate casinos and other gambling-related business.
