One of the 18 staff of Crown Resort detained in China last month for alleged "gambling crimes' has been released, a person familiar with the matter revealed on Saturday. Officials from the Australian casino company have so far declined to comment on the latest development.

A close source said that the person released on bail is a junior employee of the company and is a Chinese citizen.

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The sudden detention of 18 Crown employees sparked off panic across the global casino industry. The industry feared that the move would make Chinese billionaires and VIPs more wary about traveling to casinos in abroad countries and especially in Australia, leading to a possible decline in profit and revenue.

The stocks of Crown Resorts Ltd. and its nearest competitor Star Entertainment Group have taken a huge beating since the detention fiasco.

The Australian government reacted very conservatively to the detention fiasco. The government said that it fully understands that China is simply following its law.

As per the local Chinese law, authorities have 37 days from the time of the detention to charge the concerned person. All the employees of Crown Resort were arrested on October 14.

Gambling is an illegal business in China, and international companies are barred from directly promoting their casinos. However, they are allowed to promote tourism activities within their resort.

The crackdown on gambling activities is part President Xi Jinping's nationwide campaign against corruption, which has led to the arrest of several high-profile officials.     

TagsCrown Casino arrests, Crown Resort China, china, Gambling in China