The global gaming community is in shock as news broke of the unexpected passing of Tony Santo, the visionary CEO and director of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment. 

Gateway Casinos Bids Farewell to CEO Tony Santo

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, a prominent player in the gaming arena, confirmed the heartbreaking news. Tolek Strukoff, president of Gateway, expressed deep sorrow, saying: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tony Santo. You could often find Tony visiting sites and staff from dawn to dusk connecting about their work, families, and lives. Tony was an iconic leader in the US and Canada and grew Gateway from a small regional gaming company to one of the largest gaming companies in Canada.  However, Tony would say himself he didn’t do it – we did it together.”

Santo’s journey with Gateway commenced in 2013 when he took the reins as president and CEO, leaving an indelible mark on the company’s trajectory. By 2017, he had become a pivotal figure on the company’s board. The extent of Santo’s influence was far beyond the boardroom. He was known for his hands-on approach, frequently immersing himself in the operations and connecting with staff at all levels

A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Santo’s expertise spanned the hospitality and gaming sectors. His leadership roles in Las Vegas earned him a reputation as an industry luminary. He eventually moved north to Canada, propelling Gateway to its present stature.

Santo announced his retirement plans in December 2019, only for the pandemic to indefinitely postpone his departure. Undeterred, he remained at the helm, guiding the company through unprecedented challenges.

Gateway Overcomes Ransomware Setback, Focuses on Data Security

Gateway, which employs around 7,000 individuals and operates thousands of slot machines and table games, faced a significant setback earlier this year due to a ransomware attack. The incident prompted a temporary closure of its Ontario casinos, raising concerns about data security. Though the company assured no guest information was compromised, the personal details of select employees were possibly accessed. A week after the attack Gateway initiated a phased reopening of its properties. 

With the incident’s aftermath, Gateway undertook a comprehensive restoration of its IT systems with support from cybersecurity experts. The breach, while unsettling, reinforced the company’s commitment to safeguarding its employees’ information. In other news, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment joined forces with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) in an affiliate marketing deal. Gateway customers in Ontario gained easy access to OLG’s iGaming and online sports betting, improving player experiences while maintaining responsible gambling practices.

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This is an important milestone for the company as it is expanding in Colombia and the broader LatAm region for the very first time with the help of a trusted local operator, Rivalo. Booming Games is the author of a wide range of titles, including Super Duper, The Mighty Toro, King Cobra, and recent releases such as Gold Gold Gold, and Go Bananza.

Important Regional Debut for Booming Games

The recent releases will soon become part of the Colombian operator’s window dressing, with a trio of games among the first to release with Rivalo in Colombia. The games in question are Crack the Bank: Hold and Win, Cash Pug, and Buffalo Hold: and Win. There is also Megahops Megaways, which is a game that uses the acclaimed Big Time Gaming mechanic to add even more fun to the core product offer Booming Games has to offer.

As a result, Rivalo players will experience some innovative titles and have access to even more variety through the operator’s library. Rivalo has unrivalled expertise in the local iGaming region and is a fitting choice for the supplier as it seeks to boost its global expansion and enter new markets, which is what is happening through this Colombian activation.

Rivalo country manager Felipe Agüero was very happy with the opportunity to bring this content to local audiences, and expressed confidence in the quality of the products offered by Booming Games:

We are delighted to onboard Booming Games, a prominent and dynamic game provider, whose comprehensive portfolio offers a thrilling and varied selection of products. We are confident that their offerings will satisfy the demands of our players.

Rivalo country manager Felipe Agüero

Growing in International Markets with LatAm

The news was similarly welcomed by Booming Games chief commercial officer Frederik Niehusenwho argued that the collaboration was an important way for the company forward into what is one of the most promising markets worldwide.

The partnership, Niehusen said, is a great way for the supplier to further strengthen its position in Latin America and bring audiences the quality products they deserve. Booming Games recently became part of REEVO’s content library, offering the supplier an even stronger reach with prominent partner operators in jurisdictions where all business parties are cleared to operate.

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In mid-April, the operations of the major Canadian gaming and entertainment company, Gateway Casinos, were impacted by a cyberattack. The company announced an emergency shutdown on April 16 which at the time was described as a “system-wide malfunction.” In light of the security breach, Gateway decided to temporarily shut down the operations at all of its 14 different properties.

Reportedly, there were more than a few properties affected by the cyber-attack that include venues at Woodstock, Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie cities. Additionally, the ransomware attacks are believed to have affected the operations of casinos in Sarnia, North Bay, London, Innisfil and Clinton. Although five other venues were not impacted by the cyberattack, Gateway temporarily halted the operations at those casinos as well.

Carmi Levy, an experienced technology analyst explained that Gateway may face challenges when recovering from the cyberattack. The analyst, who was interviewed by CTVNews recently, explained that the operator will have to first “own” the cyberattack and then begin the hard work related to recovering from its devastating impact. Additionally, Levy said that Gateway would need to reestablish the trust of its stakeholders, as well as customers.

“Gateway Casinos is going to have to own this, and they are going to have to work hard to reestablish the trust of customers and other stakeholders who have done business with them in the past who may be hesitant to do so going forward, for good reason.“

Carmi Levy, Technology Analyst

The Company Started Reopening Venues

According to the technology analyst, to prevent and recognize cyberattacks, companies need to train their employees better. Levy said that usually, such attacks start with a “phishing type of message” showing in one’s inbox. He explained: “Clearly, someone clicked on the wrong thing in this event. Clearly, someone is going to click on the wrong thing in future events.”

Speaking about cyberattacks, Levy said that it may take years for companies to recover from such threats. He said that cyberattacks are “as bad as it gets” and pointed out that the recovery from such threats isn’t as simple as coming back online by flipping a switch.

Last week, Gateway confirmed it continues to work on its IT systems to reopen its properties. “We continue to restore our IT systems and are working to safely reopen our Ontario operations,” the company explained in a statement. On Saturday, Gateway confirmed the reopening of its Innisfil property. At the time, the company unveiled that it plans to implement a phased reopening plan for its businesses. Gateway confirmed that additional properties are expected to reopen soon.

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Gateway Casinos, a major Canadian gaming and entertainment company, has released an update on its state after the recent cyberattack. Several days ago, the operator’s Ontarian business suffered a devastating security breach. As a result, it was forced to temporarily shut down its properties and reschedule planned events.

The company, which operates 14 venues in the province, announced the emergency shutdown on April 16, blaming what it called an IT outrage. In later updates, the company kept interested parties updated on what was happening, confirming that it had become the target of ransomware attacks.

The fourteen properties that were directly affected by the hackers include the casinos in the following cities:

• Clinton
• Innisfil
• London
• North Bay
• Sarnia
• Sault Ste. Marie
• Sudbury
• Thunder Bay
• Woodstock

While not all Ontarian casinos were directly hit in the attacks, the company shut down all its properties, leading to the temporary closures of Casino Rama Resort, Cascades Casino Chatham, Playtime Casino Hanover, Playtime Casino Wasaga Beach and Starlight Casino Point Edward.

The shutdown of Casino Rama is an especially hard hit for the company, considering that it is one of the most popular gambling destinations in Canada. This left many clients disappointed with the news. However, Gateway Casinos noted that the Casino Rama Hotel and the Weirs restaurant will remain functional in spite of the ongoing situation.

Gateway Casinos’ Comeback Is Looming

Luckily, Gateway Casinos is working hard on recovering its business and, according to one of the latest announcements, will begin reopening its properties very soon. While the planned recovery will go through several stages, Gateway hopes to begin the process this week.

In a recent interview, Rob Mitchell, Gateway’s communications and public affairs director, addressed the matter. He said that the company continues testing its IT systems to see if everything is up to standard. The reopening, according to him, will depend on the results of these tests, as well as on the approval of the relevant regulators.

The ransomware attack likely saw Gateway Casinos extorted for money. Even if that is the case, the casino operator did not disclose the details and didn’t confirm whether it paid a ransom or not.

Ransomware groups usually target big corporate entities such as Gateway Casinos, since many of them would pay the ransom just to get back to business. Gateway Casinos is owned by The Catalyst Capital Group and is one of the most influential gambling companies in Western Canada. It currently employs over 3,000 workers.

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Canada’s Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. has officially confirmed that the company has been the subject of a cyberattack. All 14 of the company’s casinos in the province of Ontario were shut down starting with Casino Rama Resort which closed on April 16th. The casinos were hit with a ransomware attack that reportedly created an IT outage.

When Casino Ramma was shut down abruptly at about 1 p.m. CDT on Sunday the 16th, the company only said that an IT outage was to blame, not what caused the outage. All gaming operations were shut down with the company statement reading only: “Gateway casino sites across Ontario experienced a system-wide IT outage.”

Restaurants, Hotel Still Open at Casino Rama

The casino’s Instagram feed most recently stated: “Casino Rama Resort’s Hotel, Balance In Life Spa, Weirs, and St. Germain’s restaurants remain open. St. Germain’s is open Wednesday – Sunday.”

Very little more information was meted out over the next several days until Gateway announced the reasoning behind the closures on Friday, nearly a week later. The company now says that it has no knowledge of any confidential or private information being compromised. Investigation of the incident is still underway with many of the firm’s 7,000 employees being idled.

iHeart Radio was reporting on Friday that all casinos would remain shuttered indefinitely while cyber professionals do their work to reassure the integrity of the systems.

The Chris de Burgh concert scheduled for Friday was postponed until April 27. The Quiet Riot, Warrant, and Helix concert scheduled for Saturday was reset to October 7. All tickets purchased through My Club Rewards and Ticketmaster will be valid on the new dates. No mention of refunds was made. The event center st Casino Rama can seat up to 5,000 people.

The Friday announcement confirmed that a criminal breach had occurred and that all of the casinos would remain closed through the weekend at a minimum. As of Sunday evening, no change had been announced.

The company website still stated the following which was initially posted on Friday, April 21: “Gateway Casinos and Entertainment locations in Ontario will remain closed through the coming weekend as we continue to work on resolving a cybersecurity incident and put in place the plans for reopening at each location. While we cannot confirm a re-opening date at this time, we continue to work with all relevant parties to do everything we can to restore our IT systems, reopen our sites, and get our employees back to work.”

Not all cash has stopped flowing for the company however as 15 other casinos in different provinces remain open.

Catalyst Capital Group is the company’s majority stockholder and gateway manages the gaming venues for the respective provincial governments where they operate, sharing revenues with them which is used for the common good.

The company announcement also stated: “We want to reiterate that we have notified the relevant privacy officials, law enforcement, and government regulators about the cyber incident.”

30 Year History in Canada

Last year, Gateway celebrated 30 years of participation in the gaming and entertainment business in Canada. Casino Rama opened on July 31, 1996, and remained open continuously until forced to shutter operations during the world health emergency in 2020.

The company said it is working “with third-party experts” around the clock 7 days per week “to determine if there has been any impact on personal information in this case,”

Oddly enough, just a few days prior to the cyberattack, Global News ran an article warning of the increased risk of Russian cyberattacks on Canada in response to the country’s support of Ukraine. While there is no indication yet that Russian state actors are responsible for the most recent attack on a Canadian business it has been identified as a criminal hacking group and that ransom was demanded. Gateway has not confirmed or denied whether it paid and was hit anyway.

Pro-Russian groups have taken credit for several recent cyberattacks in Canada, including on Prime Minister Trudeau’s website and the websites of the Port of Québec and Laurentian Bank.

For a listing of all significant cyber attacks on Canadian government institutions and businesses, see the Kon Briefing (here).

Source: Gateway Casinos Confirms Cyberattack on Ontario IT Infrastructure, Casino.org, April 22, 2023

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Orilla Matters reported that in a sudden turn of events, all Gateway Casinos and Entertainment properties, including Casino Rama located in Orillia, have been shut down due to a system-wide malfunction on April 16. According to the company’s statement, all gaming facilities in Ontario would remain closed until further notice.

Patrons Left Disappointed as Gateway Casinos Close Unexpectedly

The Facebook statement posted on Sunday read: “All Gateway Ontario sites will close due to a system-wide malfunction until further notice.” No further information was provided on the nature of the malfunction or when the casinos would resume operations.

At 1 p.m. on Sunday, a sudden closure of multiple locations occurred, including Casino Rama in Orillia, the Cascades Casino in Chatham, and nearby Gateway Casinos in Sarnia, London, Woodstock, and Clinton, as well as the Playtime Casino in Hanover. The duration of the closure remains unknown and the facilities will be closed until further notice.

The closure has left many patrons disappointed, as the Casino Rama was one of the most popular gaming destinations in Canada. The Casino Rama Resort’s hotel and Weirs restaurant, however, would remain open despite the shutdown, according to the statement.

Employees Left in the Dark as Gateway Casinos Remain Closed

The sudden shutdown of all Gateway Casinos and Entertainment properties has also raised concerns among employees. The company has not released any further statements regarding the situation, leaving many to wonder about the cause of the system-wide malfunction and the timeline for the resumption of operations.

Casino Rama opened its doors on July 31, 1996, and it has been continuously operating 24/7 until the pandemic shutdown in 2020. 

Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which operates the Casino Rama, is a major Canadian gaming and entertainment operator. It has its headquarters in Burnaby, British Columbia. With a current count of 23 casinos spread across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, it has grown significantly since its inception. 

The company is currently owned by The Catalyst Capital Group Inc., a private equity investment firm that started in 2002. Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited is one of the largest and most successful casino and entertainment companies in Western Canada, employing over 3,000 employees and operating 12 facilities, a remarkable increase from its humble beginnings with only 2 facilities and 150 employees back in 1992.

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