Saratoga Suffers ‘IT Issues,’ Casino Ops Impacted in New York, Colorado, Mississippi
Posted on: November 4, 2024, 11:33h.
Last updated on: November 4, 2024, 11:44h.
Saratoga Casino Holdings suffered an information technology glitch late last week that rendered some operations unavailable at the company’s three commercial casinos. Three days later, the company’s casinos in Colorado and Mississippi remain closed.
Saratoga Casino Holdings is based in Saratoga Springs in upstate New York. The company’s namesake property — Saratoga Casino Hotel — is a horse racetrack and casino offering 1,200 slot-like video lottery terminals and electronic table games.
The firm additionally owns and operates Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Colorado and Magnolia Bluffs Casino in Natchez, Miss. On social media over the weekend, Saratoga Casino Holdings confirmed an IT event at its Colorado and Mississippi casinos forced the properties to temporarily close.
Our IT team has made progress on resolving the issue and we hope to open as soon as possible,” the Saratoga Casino Black Hawk Facebook account shared. “Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
Magnolia Bluffs issued a similar message.
Magnolia Bluffs will remain closed. We will continue to update you as progress is being made to resolve the issue,” a Facebook post explained.
Saratoga Casino Black Hawk and Magnolia Bluffs both remained closed as of noon on Monday.
Along with its three casinos, Saratoga is part of a consortium seeking a downstate New York casino license for an integrated resort on Coney Island.
Patron Complaints at Saratoga Casino
While Saratoga Casino Holdings shuttered its Colorado and Mississippi casinos due to the technical problems, the Saratoga Casino Hotel remained open as of Monday. Patrons took to social media to express their frustrations with the casino’s limited operations, which included rewards cards and certain promotions being disabled.
“We just left. [The] system is still down. No free play and no points earned,” said patron Sharon Gates.
Some asked if they would be compensated for not receiving their rewards promos and for not being told about the casino’s IT problems until arriving at the property. While Saratoga Black Hawk and Magnolia Bluffs issued advisories on social media about the operational difficulties, Saratoga Casino Hotel shared a post encouraging guests to enjoy the extra hour provided by daylight savings to “try your luck and make every minute count.”
“That extra hour could lead to a jackpot!” the casino posted.
Culprit Unknown
Saratoga Casino Holdings hasn’t said publicly what is causing the IT struggles and whether a hacking event triggered the incident.
All properties were impacted in some way,” said Amy Brannigan, Saratoga Casino Holdings’ marketing director. “Unfortunately, we have no update on a timeframe for reopening.”
Casinos have been targets of hackers and ransomware groups in recent years.
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, two of the largest casino operators in the US, were both infamously targeted last year by a hacking group that used “social engineering” to infiltrate the companies’ sensitive computer servers.
The hacks cost MGM more than $100 million after it refused to pay a ransom. Caesars admitted to paying the hackers $15 million to have its systems restored with only minimal disruption.
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Last Comments ( 3 )
I showed up on Sunday. Just said closed. Is the customers information safe or is this a breach of the customer’s information? Would be good to know.
The internet in Colorado was showing that the Casino was open today. We arrived at 12.30 Pm and it was closed. I was there on Friday when it was first closed. Couldn’t they send us a notice ? Even from a private computer ? María Reynolds Diamond player
I was considering going to Rivers Casino. I and my wife are both preferred cards. I believe the casino should have given every person some sort of free play for showing up and not leaving.. I guess the Holy Dollar means more to a Casino instead of its customers. I believe Rivers Casino will have an increase in there business. Saratoga you should of taken care of the ones that played