CEO McLoughlin leads senior departures from SKS365 Group

Ian McLoughlin has stepped down as chief executive of SKS365 Group, as one of three senior members of staff to depart the business. 

General counsel Angela Gemma and group financial controller Aaron Meli have also left their positions at the operator behind the Italy-facing PlanetWin365 brand.

McLoughlin has left the business in order to pursue other opportunities, an SKS365 spokesperson confirmed to iGamingBusiness.com.

Gemma, meanwhile, has opted to return to her law firm, while Meli will switch to an advisory role with SKS365 and continue to provide consultancy support on an ongoing project.

SKS365 refused to comment on possible replacements to fill the now-vacant roles.

Sports betting and gaming company SKS365 Malta was founded in Austria in 2009 but is now headquartered in the Italian capital of Rome, with PlanetWin365 established as one of the market-leading iGaming brands in the market.

In December, PlanetWin365 held a 14.8% share of the country’s online betting market, second only to Bet365 on 17.3%. PlanetWin365 had ranked as the top operator in November, but saw its share slip 0.1% last month.

SKS365 is currently caught up in the ‘Galassia' investigation, an ongoing probe by Italian police into anti-money laundering in the country's gambling market.

In November, 68 people were arrested as part of the investigation, which has uncovered how Italian organised crime groups in Calabria, the 'Ndrangheta, have been using bookmakers for money laundering purposes.

The police have previously stated that SKS365’s inclusion in the probe relates to the company's previous management, between 2015 and 2017.