Rivers Casino, the largest casino in Illinois, suffered a significant cybersecurity breach in mid-August, with the incident only discovered on November 2. The casino alerted customers to the breach, revealing that sensitive personal information, including dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security numbers, may have been accessed or removed.
While the casino has not observed any signs of fraud or identity theft resulting from the breach, the compromised data could pose risks in the wrong hands. The unauthorized access affected both casino employees and gamblers, with potential exposure of financial account numbers, tax ID numbers, Social Security numbers, and passport numbers for a limited number of individuals.
The breach impacted a “limited number” of people, but the casino did not specify the exact figure. Rivers Casino, which has generated nearly $450 million this year, promptly took measures to contain the threat, secure its systems, and enlisted a cybersecurity firm for investigation. The compromised information included phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, and government ID numbers for both casino employees and online sportsbook customers.
The FBI issued a “private industry notification” to casinos nationwide, warning of ransomware hackers utilizing legitimate system management tools to gain unauthorized access to networks. Rivers Casino assured customers that passwords or payment card information were not affected.
Despite the breach, the casino emphasized its commitment to robust security protocols and took swift action to prevent interruptions to operations or services. While the scale of affected individuals remains undisclosed, the casino provided a hotline (866-983-3108) for impacted parties to seek more information. Rivers Casino has urged vigilance and precautionary measures for those potentially affected by the cybersecurity incident.
