Gambling company IGT discloses security incident

International gambling and lottery company International Game Technology (IGT) has confirmed that a security incident disrupted its operations last week.

“On November 17, 2024, International Game Technology PLC became aware that an unauthorized third party gained access to certain of its systems, and the company has experienced disruptions in portions of its internal information technology systems and applications resulting from this cybersecurity incident,” IGT says in an 6-K Form addresses to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

When the incident came to light, IGT activated its cybersecurity incident response plan and launched an investigation into the matter. An external cybersecurity firm has been called upon to assess and remediate the unauthorized access.

To prevent recurrence and minimize the impact of the incident, IGT has taken a number of systems offline to protect them. It will try to bring these systems online as soon as possible, but can’t say for sure when that will happen. As part of the company’s business continuity plans, alternatives have been implemented to continue servicing its customers.

Lastly, the company promises to communicate with its customers and other stakeholders as it sees fit. At this moment, it can’t say for sure whether the incident will have a material impact on its financial results.

International Game Technology is a London-based multinational gambling company that produces slot machines and other gambling technology for customers worldwide. It employs over 11,000 employees and reported a revenue of $1.9 billion in the first nine months of the year.

As of writing, no hacking group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

IGT isn’t the first company in the gambling industry that has been targeted by hackers. In September 2023, MGM Resorts International became the victim of a cyberattack. For a brief period, customers couldn’t make reservations for a hotel room and other facilities online. As a precautionary measure, the company took slot machines and ATMs offline.

“MGM Resorts recently identified a cybersecurity problem affecting some of the company’s systems. As soon as we discovered the problem, we immediately launched an investigation with the help of prominent outside cybersecurity specialists. We also notified enforcement agencies and took immediate action to protect our systems and data, including shutting down some systems,” MGM said in a statement at the time.

The incident caused more than $100 million in damages.