Chinese authorities have lodged criminal charges against 18 Crown Resorts staffers, including three Australians, for alleged gambling crimes.

The indictment of the 18 casino staffers, led by the head of international VIP services Jason O’Connor, came eight months after they were rounded-up in a sting operation against gambling-related activities dubbed as “Duanlian.”

Duanlian reportedly aims to unshackle personal and financial links of Chinese high rollers from foreign casinos.

According to The South China Morning Post, the criminal suit against the Crown staffers was already forwarded to the Baoshan District Court. The Court has reportedly set the hearing of the case on June 25.