Two casinos in New York have been hit by a cyberattack, resulting in more than 1,000 gaming machines being shut down. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

More than 1,000 VLTs shuttered

A cybersecurity incident has targeted several of New York‘s casinos that operate video lottery terminals (VLTs), according to the New York Gaming Commission.

the cybersecurity attack impacted its central operating system

The Gaming Commission said that the cybersecurity attack impacted its central operating system, which operates out of Schenectady and serves the state‘s slot machines. It temporarily halted the operations of Resorts World Hudson Valley and Jake‘s 58 casino on Long Island, shuttering more than 1,000 VLT machines.

Everi Holdings, which operates the VLT system on behalf of the New York Gaming Commission, was the primary victim of the cybersecurity attack. Resorts World Hudson Valley was quickly able to restart its operations, but Jake‘s 58 was closed for a few days.

Gaming Commission spokesman Brad Maione said: “On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, Everi, the licensed operator of New York’s video lottery gaming central system, experienced a cybersecurity event that remains under investigation.”

Maione continued by saying there was “no indication” that personal information was compromised and the situation was being monitored.

Cyberattacks at MGM and Caesars

These latest events follow on the heels of the recent cyberattacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment.

In September, it was reported that hacker group ALPHV was responsible for the MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment cyberattacks that are estimated to have cost the casinos $100m and $30m, respectively.

MGM and Caesars had cyberattack-related lawsuits filed against them

Following the hacks, those responsible threatened to leak stolen guest data if a ransom wasn‘t paid. As a result, MGM and Caesars had cyberattack-related lawsuits filed against them. The complaints allege that the companies didn‘t properly protect customer data, this putting said data in jeopardy in the weeks following the breach.

Since the September hacks, the casinos are back up and running.