- Denial-of-service attacks that take platforms offline during peak betting windows
- Cyber extortion, where hackers demand ransoms, knowing downtime is extremely costly
- Account takeover, in which hackers infiltrate player accounts to steal credits or personal information
- Database breaches affecting player-membership information, including sensitive identification data
Learning from 2023 Las Vegas ransomware attacks
The gaming sector has already received a stark warning in 2023, when two of the biggest Las Vegas casino and hotel chains — MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment — were hit by ransomware attacks. In the MGM breach, hackers reportedly gained access through a social-engineering ploy, infiltrated MGM’s systems, disabled digital room keys, shut down slot machines, stalled guest check-ins, and disrupted loyalty-program databases. The attack caused days of outages and tens of millions in losses from business interruption, recovery costs, and reputational damage.