In an east coast echo of what happened to MGM Resorts International last month, New York casinos were hit by what is being called a “cybersecurity event” last week. Fortunately, it sounds like whatever the problem was has been solved and things are back to normal.
There are fewer details as to what exactly happened than there were in the MGM situation and nobody has come forward to claim responsibility. Last Tuesday, a “statewide interruption” disrupted the proper operation of gaming machines – or what the state calls “video lottery terminals” (VLTs) – at Resorts World Hudson Valley in Newburgh and Jake’s 58 on Long Island.
Both casinos had to shut down because of the cyberattack. Resorts World reopened the same day, but it took until Friday for Jake’s 58 to get back up and running.
When it first happened, Phil Boyle, President and CEO of Suffolk OTB, the company that operates Jake’s 58, told News 12 Long Island, “We don’t know if it’s something on the outside or something on the inside. These things happen but they’re working hard to get it fixed.”
It seems the problem emanated from Everi, the licensed operator of New York’s VLT centralized system. Someone or someones conducted a cyberattack on Everi, affecting casinos around the state.
Everi has assured Jake’s 58 that no customer information was compromised, but the casino still plans to beef up its cybersecurity and will keep an eye on things to make sure there are no further surprises.
Jake’s 58 also had a promotion planned for the first day it had to close its doors and Boyle has promised that it will run the promotion another day. Boyle added that the casino “….will make up the time lost to our customers.”
In addition to the casinos, the Westchester Medical Center Health Network was also hit by a cyberattack. It is unknown if the incidents were related. HealthAlliance Hospital and Margaretville Hospital in Hudson Valley had to divert patients to other hospitals over the weekend, though they did remain open. Ambulance service was back up by 7:00pm Saturday.
“To address the threat and take the necessary steps to fully restore our secure network, on Friday, October 20, our IT experts shut down all connected IT systems at HealthAlliance Hospital, Margaretville Hospital and Mountainside Residential Care Center,” the Health Network said. “We then began standing up our IT systems, a process that is ongoing, but we have regained all necessary capabilities to resume full operations.”
