MGM Resorts International Resumes Majority of Operations After Cyber Attack

It's been over a week since MGM Resorts International announced that its land-based operations were affected by a major cyber-attack, and now the Borgata Casino in New Jersey appears to be almost fully operational. MGM announced this week that the Atlantic City casino has most services back in action, with only a few issues remaining. Surprisingly, the attack did not harm NJ online casino operations, so players can easily continue enjoying slots and table games online.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has suffered from specific operational issues since September 10, when the attack started. The hotel digital keys, ATMs, some slot machines, and sports betting kiosks were all connected to the attack and inoperable for several days. 
By September 20, Borgata announced that most of its systems were back online and working well. This included the ticketing service of slot machines and free gaming. However, some issues remain, including online hotel reservations and the MGM Reward app.

Borgata took to social media to explain the situation and help customers understand what to expect. There is currently an increase in call volume, so wait time may be longer than normal. The casino is a 24-hour business, but the brand has suggested that visitors call Monday to Friday, 8 am to 7 pm to be able to reach support.

Slot games now offer MGM Rewards for play as operation has resumed, but tier credits are still being manually added for table games. Guests who do not want to deal with any issues and are traveling to the hotel soon have through September 24 to cancel without penalty. 
In a statement, MGM Resorts said that the resort services, dining, pools, spas, and entertainment are open as normal. The gaming floor, including slots, poker rooms, and table games, are also serviceable. Employees are also on hand to assist with any issues that may occur.

MGM Resorts International was hit via its land-based venues, and its online casino services remained untouched. It’s quite interesting to note that online casinos such as Borgata and BetMGM were not targeted. Casino and sports betting services have remained active online with zero issues.

New Jersey online casinos may have started to worry a bit once news broke of the cyberattack on MGM as well as Caesars Entertainment. Both have been a target of hackers, with services shut down and criminals possibly breaching the personal information of both brand’s customers.

It seems the hackers wanted to wreak havoc on a large scale by shutting down operations of the physical venues. Those visiting were left in the dark as they were unable to play games or even get inside their hotel room with a digital key.

Casinos rely heavily on technology, so a complete shutdown of services caused major issues for the day-to-day operations. Employees had to switch to manual services, which take much more time and effort to complete than the digital side of the business.

It is believed that tens of millions were lost during the attack by Caesars and MGM. Both companies were unable to provide the same level of service, which can cause players to go elsewhere and cancel reservations or trips due to fears of security issues.

Hopefully, Borgata will be able to resume its hotel reservations online and rewards system soon, so additional monies will not be lost due to the attack. In the meantime, other casinos have to wonder if they might be the next ones facing a cyber-attack if the alleged assailants strike again.