Beijing: James Packer's former Macau casino business partner, billionaire Lawrence Ho, has criticised casino operators for "deliberately spitting in the face" of Chinese authorities.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Ho is reported as saying that Crown Resorts and several other gaming companies had upset the Chinese government by engaging staff in China despite a ban on the marketing of gambling.

Fourteen Crown staff are in detention in Shanghai - including Melbourne man Jason O'Connor, Crown's head of international VIP programs - awaiting trial after a raid by Chinese authorities in October.

In 2015, 14 staff from two South Korean casinos were sentenced to 18 months prison for similar crimes.