Macau casino boss Lawrence Ho has criticized his former joint venture partner James Packer’s company Crown Resorts for its aggressive marketing to high-rolling gamblers in China.

In an interview with the Financial Times published late Tuesday, the Melco Resorts & Entertainment CEO said the 18 Crown staffers arrested last October and the South Korean casino representatives detained in 2015 had failed to be “discreet” in their dealings with mainland Chinese gamblers.

Chinese law prohibits gambling operators from promoting gambling activity on the mainland but Ho said the Crown staffers and the South Koreans had been “running around offering credit, talking about collection.” Ho said the reaction of the Chinese authorities was “like what the hell, you’re deliberately spitting on our faces.”

A spokesman later said that Ho wasn’t “singling out Crown” with his comments, only making “general comments on the industry overall,” but Ho isn’t the first industry figure to criticize Crown’s promotional activities.