In response to a “cybersecurity issue,” casino and lodging operator MGM Resorts shut down some of its computer systems, including its website, the business stated in a message on social media on Monday.
Nearly every element of the casino operator’s operation was impacted by the initial shutdown. The disruption appears to have affected the casino floors, hotel electronic key card systems, reservation systems, and booking systems.
The company’s email systems were reportedly shut down as a result of the cybersecurity problem and have still not been restored.
The business claimed that as of Monday night, its casino floors were operational once more.
However, more than a day after the initial reports of the event started to spread, it appears that both the reservation systems that power their thousands of hotel rooms and the booking system that manages bookings for their restaurants are still down.
Thousands of hotel rooms are managed by MGM around Las Vegas and the country. According to SEC filings, revenue from their Las Vegas hotel rooms exceeds the revenue specifically attributable to their casino operations. When compared to casino revenue of $492.2 million for the same period, the business recorded Las Vegas rooms revenue of $706.7 million for the quarter ended June 30.
The FBI said that it was informed about the “ongoing” situation but did not offer any other details.
On Monday, MGM stock had a nearly 2.4% decline.
A landing page that directs visitors to call their hotels or casinos directly has taken the place of MGM’s website. While some social media users said that MGM’s systems were down as early as Sunday night, it wasn’t immediately clear when the outage began.
Cybersecurity problems have already occurred at the organization. More than 10 million MGM guests’ private information was posted on a hacking forum in 2020. The corporation stated at the time that the data leak occurred in the summer of 2019.
The extent of the government response was not immediately apparent beyond the FBI’s involvement. In 2003, the government designated the “commercial facilities sector,” which comprises the hospitality and casino industries, as vital infrastructure.
