BEIJING — A Chinese court on Monday sentenced three Australian employees of Crown Resorts to less than a year in prison each for illegally promoting gambling in China.

Including the time they have already spent in prison, all three should be released in months.

Crown, an Australian company, said in a news release that a court in Shanghai had sentenced Jason O’Connor, the vice president of its V.I.P. international operations, to 10 months in prison. Two other Australians, Pan Dan and Jerry Xuan, were both sentenced to nine months. They have been in detention since Oct. 14, the company said.

Thirteen other employees, one Malaysian and 12 Chinese, received similar sentences, the company said. Three more were convicted but not fined or sentenced to prison.

The case has spooked foreign gambling operators, which have tried to lure Chinese customers to their properties by enticing them with rides on private jets, good Chinese food and swift visa approvals. Australia has watched the case closely, and the country’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has expressed concern. The detentions have also caught the attention of other foreign companies operating in China, where fears of increased government scrutiny are growing.

Crown, partly owned by the Australian billionaire James Packer, said that of the 16 employees who received prison time, the court sentenced 11 of them to nine months and five to 10 months. The court also took into account their time in detention since October.

“Crown remains respectful of the sovereign jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China and does not intend to comment further at this time,” the company said.

Crown said 16 of the 19 defendants were fined a total of $1.3 million, which the company paid.

Gambling is illegal in the mainland, but Chinese gamblers have built Macau, a special administrative region under Beijing’s rule but governed by separate laws, into the world’s largest gambling market. Although the industry has been hurt by President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption and his campaign against ostentatious displays of wealth, it has rebounded in recent months as new resorts have opened.

Representatives of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade could not be immediately reached for comment.