Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
CybersecurityHospitality & Casinos

Online gaming: A sure bet for hackers?

By Patrick Pocalyko
game over in red rext

Image via Unsplash

July 21, 2023

The rise of online gaming has tracked a marked decline in land-based casinos. The reason? It’s much simpler to open an online casino, and these ones can target audiences anywhere in the world, while player anonymity remains ironclad. Yet the huge jump in online player counts has led to an even larger jump in risk. Specifically, it’s led to a dramatic increase in cybersecurity risk and a corresponding rise in cyberattacks on online gaming providers.

Recent notable online casinos cyberattacks

A key security challenge facing the online gaming industry is that regulations are lagging behind in key markets. This has made online gaming a sure bet for hackers. In just the past year, security leaders have seen a number of high-profile breaches in the industry, notably:

  • In May of 2023, US sports betting site DraftKings suffered a credential stuffing attack that impacted some 60,000 player accounts. 
  • Also in May, Holland Casino Online was completely shut down by an attack against its infrastructure supplier. The cyberattack reportedly caused problems for numerous other unnamed casinos worldwide.
  • In April of this year, French online casino Houlgate was the victim of a cyberattack — reportedly ransomware — that shut down online operations for several business days.

The potential damage 

The impact of cyberattacks on online gaming or casino sites can range from annoyance to full-blown business disruption. Whatever the result to business continuity, cyberattacks remain seriously expensive to operators — averaging $4 million per attack. Yet aside from the potential monetary loss, cyberattacks on online casinos can also seriously endanger:

Compliance

Online casinos operate within a highly regulated industry. If cyberattacks result from failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, operators may be exposed to legal repercussions, fines and other sanctions even or loss of license. Risks that impact compliance include protection of customer and financial data, anti-money laundering (AML) measures, responsible gambling practices and more.

User base

The online gambling industry is highly competitive, and operators guard their user lists closely. Data breaches can expose the massive quantities of sensitive customer data that sites collect and store, such as PII, payment information and betting history. Loss of this data to a competitor can not only result in user attrition from the breached site but can even pose a risk to business continuity if churn snowballs.

Reputation

Casinos are a business based on trust. A cybersecurity breach that becomes public knowledge can cause severe reputational harm to an online casino. Negative publicity resulting from this can lead to a loss of customer confidence and have a lasting impact on brand equity.

Casinos need security for the long game

Online gaming is rapidly growing in both popularity and revenue. The ease of opening online casinos and the ability to reach a global audience has led to a surge in player counts. Yet with security regulations struggling to keep up, hackers are eagerly placing their bets on breaching online gaming providers. The consequences of these attacks can range from minor disruptions to significant business and reputational damage.

Online gambling operators that want to prioritize security but lack the in-house resources to do so are increasingly extending their security through managed security service providers. This type of partnership can both alleviate pressure on lean in-house teams and help operators secure cyber insurance. By extending their security, online gambling operators play the long game, prioritize security and show hackers that online gaming is in no way a sure bet.

KEYWORDS: casino security cyberattack cybersecurity data breach gaming industry security

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Patrick Pocalyko is EVP GM North America at CYREBRO

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Logical Security
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Charles Denyer
Manage My Account
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Internal computer parts

Critical Software Vulnerabilities Rose 37% in 2024

Coding

AI Emerges as the Top Concern for Security Leaders

Half open laptop

“Luigi Was Right”: A Look at the Website Sharing Data on More Than 1,000 Executives

Person working on laptop

Governance in the Age of Citizen Developers and AI

Shopping mall

Victoria’s Secret Security Incident Shuts Down Website

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

June 24, 2025

Inside a Modern GSOC: How Anthropic Benchmarks Risk Detection Tools for Speed and Accuracy

For today's security teams, making informed decisions in the first moments of a crisis is critical.

July 17, 2025

Tech in the Jungle: Leveraging Surveillance, Access Control, and Technology in Unique Environments

From animal habitats to bustling crowds of visitors, a zoo is a one-of-a-kind environment for deploying modern security technologies.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • black keyboard with white lighting

    With CVEs, time is on hackers' side

    See More
  • Access card reader, ominous

    Is Your Access Control System a Gateway for Hackers?

    See More
  • Envelopes

    Hackers accessed 150,000 emails from a government agency

    See More
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing