Jake's 58 Back Up After Cybersecurity Event

A "cybersecurity event" at the company that operates the betting terminals at Jake's 58 led to a three-day shutdown of the Islandia casino.

"Suffolk OTB is incredibly pleased to announce that Jake's 58 Casino Hotel is open for business," reported Phil Boyle, president and CEO of Suffolk Off Track Betting, which operates the facility. "We welcome back our customers and wish everyone the Best of Luck at the machines."

With the casino bringing in about $700,000 daily, even a single day will cost the state Department of Education and the other entities that derive funds from the public benefit corporation. The casino currently has 1,000 video lottery terminals and electronic table games and is looking to double that amount with a new 110,000-square-foot expansion slated to begin later this year.

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The computer security issue was reported back to the upstate office of Everi Games, Inc., the Las Vegas-based company that runs Jake's terminals, which are leased from the state Gaming Commission. According to commission spokesman Brad Maione, Everi Games "experienced a cybersecurity event that remains under investigation." He noted that the commission has no indication that personal identifiable information was compromised, but customers are urged to monitor their accounts.

When the terminals were found to be inoperable, Everi spokesman Rich Land said the company "acted swiftly to mitigate any impact and continues to work with the New York State Gaming Commission to investigate, contain and remedy the interruption. Everi has deployed independent expert cybersecurity consultants to conduct a complete forensic analysis of the event."

The issue also caused a shutdown at the Resorts World Hudson Valley casino in Newburgh, which is also back in operation. Casinos in Las Vegas were recently the targets of a massive attack by members of a group the cybersecurity industry refers to as "Scattered Spider." One casino operator, Caesars, paid out a ransom worth $15 million to a cybercrime group to have their systems unlocked by the hackers. A September 2022 attack on Suffolk County's network led to a months-long shutdown costing taxpayers millions after county Executive Steve Bellone refused to pay a multi-million dollar ransom demand.