New York Casinos Impacted by Cybersecurity Event

Several cybersecurity incidents disrupted the operations of two hospitals as well as multiple casinos that offer video lottery terminals (VLTs) in New York last week. Brad Maione, a spokesperson for the gambling regulator in the state, the New York Gaming Commission, confirmed Tuesday that the operator of VLTs in the state, Everi, was impacted by a cybersecurity event. The spokesperson confirmed that the incident remains subject to investigation.

At the time of the announcement, the gambling regulator confirmed that there was no evidence suggesting that personal data leaked in light of the cyberattack. The New York Gaming Commission did not disclose further details nor explain whether a ransom was requested by the attackers and who was the group behind the cyberattack.

According to News 12 Long Island, the cybersecurity event impacted temporarily the operations of Jake’s 58 casino, as well as Resorts World Hudson Valley. While Resorts World was able to quickly relaunch its operations, the impact on Jake’s 58 was heavy, resulting in the closing of the 1,000 VLTs venue for several days.

“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,“

reads a statement released by the New York Gaming Commission

Cyberattacks Disrupt Operations of Two Hospitals

In addition to the casinos, two hospitals in New York were also impacted by cyberattacks. Last week, the Margaretville Hospital and HealthAlliance Hospital’s operations were disrupted due to cybersecurity incidents. While their operations were impacted, the two medical venues remained open.

The two medical facilities are operated by Westchester Medical Center Health Network. On Sunday, the New York Post released a statement from the Network explaining that IT experts had to shut down the two venue’s IT systems on October 20 to “address the threat and take the necessary steps to fully restore our secure network.” Additionally, Westchester Medical Center Health Network explained: “We then began standing up our IT systems, a process that is ongoing, but we have regained all necessary capabilities to resume full operations.”

The recently announced cyberattacks in New York come on the heels of similar incidents but at a larger scale dating back to last month. At the time, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, two leading gaming and hospitality giants, were impacted by unprecedented cyberattacks.

Despite the disruption in the operations of MGM Resorts, an analyst for Deutsche Bank remained optimistic. Carlo Santarelli recently explained that the impact of the cyberattack against MGM was only temporary, predicting that the company’s shares would also rise soon.