A little over half a year after returning to the board of Australian casino giant Crown Resorts, James Packer is out of the door. Again.
Australian-listed Crown Resorts announced on Wednesday that the Aussie billionaire has resigned from his position as director at the casino company, citing “personal reasons.” A spokesman for Packer said the businessman has been “suffering from mental health issues,” which resulted in his decision “to step back from all commitments.”
The news of Packer leaving the casino company for the second time in less than three years is the latest event in the turbulent period of the 47-year-old casino mogul’s life, including the unraveling of his dreams of an overseas gambling empire as well as his very much publicized breakup with singer Mariah Carey.
Packer relinquished his board seat in December 2015 to focus on Crown’s international expansion opportunities, only to rejoin in August 2017 on the heels of the China crackdown that resulted in the arrest of several Crown staffers. The incident ultimately led to Crown shelving its overseas expansion plans: the casino operator withdrew from Macau, shut down most of its offices in Asia, and even sold its assets in Las Vegas worth $300 million along with other assets to pay off debts.