Shanghai Court Sentences Crown Resorts Employees (Update)

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Jun 30, 2017

Hands down jail sentences for promoting gambling in China

Seventeen current and two former Crown Resorts employees, arrested in October 2016 (see previous InfoPowa reports), were sentenced by the Baoshan District Court in Shanghai, Monday.

The court handed down a ten-month jail sentence to Australian Crown Resorts executive vice president of the company’s VIP division, Jason O’Connor, and nine-month prison terms to marketing employees Pan Dan and Jerry Xuan who pleaded guilty to promoting gambling on mainland China, primarily targeting wealthy Chinese high rollers.

The sentences include time already served in detention, Australian Consul General Graeme Meehan said at a press briefing outside the Shanghai court today, which would see O’Connor serve another two months and Dan and Xuan another month each.

It’s unknown what sentences were handed down in the closed Court session to the remaining sixteen accused who comprise Chinese and Malaysian Crown Resorts employees.

“The Australian government has monitored this case very closely,” Meehan said. “We will be continuing to provide consular assistance to the Australians and their families for as long as that’s required.”

More Details On Crown Resorts Sentencing (Update)

Chinese court sends a strong message

More details have emerged on the sentences handed down to Crown Resorts employees by the Baoshan District Court in Shanghai on Monday (see previous InfoPowa reports).

Nineteen Australian and Chinese Crown Resorts employees, detained in October 2016, were charged with promoting and facilitating illegal gambling by Chinese authorities.

Eleven of those were sentenced to nine months in prison and five to 10 months, Crown Resorts said.  The sixteen were also fined a total of 8.62 million Yuan (GBP 992,000), which Crown Resorts will cover ex-gratia.

In addition, the court fined Crown Resorts executive Australian Jason O’Connor 2 million Yuan (GBP 230,000), sentenced him to 10-months in jail and ordered his deportation.

Crown Resorts marketing employees Jenny Pan and Jerry Xuan were fined 400,000 Yuan (GBP 46,000) and 200,000 Yuan (GBP 23,000) respectively.  Both dual Australian-Chinese nationals received a nine-month jail term.

“Crown remains respectful of the sovereign jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China and does not intend to comment further at this time,” the company said in a press statement.

Brian Cullingworth

Infopowa news was a staple of Casinomeister’s news from 2000 until 2019. Brian Cullingworth was the main writer, contributor, and was one of the most knowledgeable persons I have ever known involved in the online casino industry.

We first met in January 2001 at the ICE in London where I observed him going booth to booth interviewing online casino, software, and licensing jurisdiction representatives. Brian was also heavily involved with our forum as “Jetset“, he was involved as an informal consultant to eCOGRA, the OPA, and was a player advocate who assisted countless aggrieved players with his connections to industry folks. He also published “Casino Cautions” via Infopowa news for quite a number of years. These can be found in our news archives.

His passing in February 2019 was a dark day for us. He will be forever missed.


Latest News

Casinomeister Went Down, But Not Out — The Website’s Back in Action

Casinomeister website experienced some downtime, and as always, we’re here to tell you exactly what happened.

By Natasa Milojevic, Last updated Feb 12, 2025
Casinomeister Went Down, But Not Out — The Website’s Back in Action

Extra Love From Pragmatic Play: Win Up to 4 Amazon Vouchers

This Valentine’s Pragmatic Play has brought extra love for Casinomeister players. Cast your line and win up to 4 Amazon vouchers!

By Natasa Milojevic, Last updated Feb 12, 2025
Extra Love From Pragmatic Play: Win Up to 4 Amazon Vouchers

Lottomart Celebrates Casinomeister Award Win With an Exclusive Bonus

Lottomart won the Casinomeister Award for the best customer service in 2024, and they decided ot mark this occasion with an exclusive promo.

By Filip Colovic, Last updated Feb 12, 2025
Lottomart Celebrates Casinomeister Award Win With an Exclusive Bonus

It’s That Time of the Year Again: Casinomeister Awards 2024

It’s that time of the year again! Casinomeister Awards for 2024 have been announced, and we give you all the highlights.

By Natasa Milojevic, Last updated Feb 5, 2025
It’s That Time of the Year Again: Casinomeister Awards 2024

New Rating System for Sweepstakes Social Casinos — Now Live!

Casinomeister has a introduced a detailed new rating system for sweepstakes casinos, making it easier to find the right place to play.

By Filip Colovic, Last updated Feb 3, 2025
New Rating System for Sweepstakes Social Casinos — Now Live!