Dotty’s Confirms Data Breach, Gaming Company Latest Cyberattack Victim

Posted on: July 9, 2021, 03:50h. 

Last updated on: July 9, 2021, 05:02h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Dotty’s is informing affected customers that it was recently the victim of a cyberattack. The company says personal information, including names, dates of birth, and driver’s license numbers were stolen.

Dotty's cyberattack ransomware Nevada
The player database of Dotty’s gaming parlors and taverns was recently the victim of a cyberattack. The company says phone numbers, driver’s licenses, and birthdates were compromised. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Dotty’s operates about 120 gaming taverns in Nevada that feature slots and video poker. The chain is owned by Craig Estey and his Nevada Restaurant Services (NRS). 

“In January 2021, NRS identified the presence of malware on certain computer systems in our environment. We immediately commenced an investigation to determine the full nature and scope of the incident and to secure our network,” a letter to impacted patrons explains.

Through this investigation, we determined that, in connection to the malware event, an unauthorized person accessed certain systems within our network. The investigation determined that the unauthorized person copied certain information from these systems on or before January 16, 2021,” the letter added.

Scott Roeben, who runs the popular Vital Vegas website and Twitter account, was first to report on the Dotty’s data breach. One his Twitter followers — Zach D. — tipped him off to the story. 

Dotty’s has about 300,000 players in its customer database. It’s unclear when the Dotty’s letter regarding the cyberattack was first sent to affected customers. 

Biden Warns Russia

The Dotty’s letter says NRS is offering 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft services through IDX. Dotty’s is also encouraging those affected to regularly review their banking accounts and credit reports “for suspicious activity.” 

Cyberattacks are growing in frequency, the hackers often demanding ransom in the form of cryptocurrency. President Joe Biden’s administration believes Russia and President Vladimir Putin are responsible for some of the major recent assaults. 

Today, Biden warned Putin that the US would take “any necessary action” to defend US infrastructure and business from ransomware attacks. US officials argue that Russia was behind the Colonial Pipeline shutdown in May. 

The White House believes Russia was responsible for the pipeline incident, as well as a cyberattack on Brazil-based JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processing company. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that a hacking group known as REvil is believed to generally work from Russia. Security experts told the news outlet that REvil infiltrated 1,500 small- and medium-size businesses in the last week alone. 

Gaming Victims

Dotty’s is the latest company involved in the US gaming industry to be targeted by cybercriminals. 

Four casinos and two travel center gaming parlors owned and operated by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma closed in mid-June after a ransomware attack penetrated the tribes’ information technology networks. Lucky Star Concho was the first to reopen on June 24. The last was Lucky Star Hammon, which only reopened yesterday, July 8. 

The Menominee Casino Resort in Wisconsin also closed in June after a cyberattack on its IT infrastructure. The tribal casino reopened June 25, but its restaurants and gift shop remain cash-only. This week, the casino announced that it’s seeking an IT network administrator.

No hacking group has yet come forward in claiming responsibility for the attacks on the US casinos.