Operator behind Winner.co.uk and Titanbet closes after UKGC Investigation

By Simon Wright, Last updated Jul 1, 2023

The operator behind the online casino brands Winner.co.uk and Titanbet have closed down after the findings of an  investigation by the Gambling Commission  in  the UK found  failures in player protection.  PT Entertainment Services ( PTES ) which owned and operated the aforementioned brands, were subjected to an investigation commenced by the UKGC in March earlier this year.

The investigation was undertaken after the Gambling Commission were contacted by a family of a 25 year old man who sadly took his own life back in April 2017. Upon the commencement of the investigation  into PTES,  the operator willingly surrendered their licence to operate within the UK.  However, the UKGC have deemed it within the public interest to publish their findings.

The Gambling Commission have reported that they  have found serious failings on the part of PTES in the way they managed their social responsibility and anti-money laundering processes. Furthermore in relation to the 25 year old man, the UKGC found that PTES failed to carry out any responsible gambling customer interactions. Despite being aware that the man in question had had several debit card  transactions declined.

Commenting on the findings of the report, Neil McArthur Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission,  said: “This is a tragic case which came to light after I was contacted by the family of the young man who very sadly took his own life.  I want to thank them for their bravery in bringing his case to our attention and we are grateful for the way they have worked with us in such terrible circumstances so that we could understand what happened.”

“Although PTES has ceased trading we decided to complete our investigation and publish our findings, as the lessons from this tragic case must be learned by all operators. Our investigations into the role played by key individuals at PTES are continuing. As such, it would be inappropriate to say more about the specific case at this time.”

“This case – like so many others we have seen – illustrates why the management of so-called ‘high value customers’ has to change.  Operators must do everything in their power to interact with customers responsibly. We will shortly be opening a consultation to make permanent changes to the way operators recruit and incentivise high value customers.”

It was also confirmed by the UKGC that if PTES had not surrendered their licence,  the operator would have been  hit by a  £3.5m penalty package.

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