James Packer quits Crown over mental anguish
Image: James Packer in happier times
Billionaire James Packer has resigned as a director of Crown Resorts for mental health reasons.
He is "suffering from mental health issues," a spokesperson from Consolidated Press Holdings, another of Mr Packer's companies, confirmed.
He remains the major shareholder of Crown, with a 47 per cent stake worth more than $4 billion.
It is the second time that Mr Packer had left the company's board.
He previously resigned as a director in December 2015 to focus on development projects in Melbourne and Las Vegas, rejoining the company in January last year.
His personal life has been in the spotlight in recent years — from his public break-up with American singer Mariah Carey, to being questioned by police as part of an investigation into the alleged corruption of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On top of that, Crown is facing potential disciplinary action from the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, which could result in its casino licence being suspended.
If you were given a mental health diagnosis, would you go public with it?
Packer won't suffer any real consequences by revealing his mental health issues. He'll get help which he can afford to pay, and all will be well. I wish him the very best in his recovery.
It's the ordinary guy in the street with an ordinary job who's afraid to let his/her problem known because it might cause them their job. Until we can beat that stigma, then we are not on the way to becoming really civilised.