A Nevada software startup, powering the world’s biggest casino, left one of its databases exposed to the internet without a password, a newly released report reveals. Currently, WinStar World Casino and Resort, a premium casino and entertainment destination in Thackerville, Oklahoma, owned by the Chickasaw Nation, takes pride as the world’s largest casino in terms of square feet.

The casino resort offers My WinStar, an application that provides features for self-service to hotel guests, while at the same time, catering as a loyalty program. Using My WinStar, visitors can access different benefits, including loyalty rewards points, promising seamless and engaging experiences.

Last week, the tech news portal, TechCrunch, uncovered details regarding an exposed database that was “spilling customers’ private information” on the internet belonging to Dexiga, the software startup powering My WinStar. The new report revealed that the exposed database was discovered by security research Anurag Sen. The “good-faith security researcher” uncovered the exposed database, finding out that it contained personal information, including emails, names, home addresses and phone numbers.

Access to the Database Was Discontinued

Sen contacted TechCrunch in an effort to help identify the exposed database. The tech news portal investigated the matter and uncovered that besides names, phone numbers and emails, there was sensitive data as well, including dates of birth. Partially this data was made confident with the use of stars, yet the information was available online without a password.

Once TechCrunch was able to identify that the data belonged to Dexiga, they contacted the software company. Shortly after, access to the database was discontinued. After it was notified about the exposed database, Dexiga explained that the information there was “publicly available,” rejecting claims about the exposure of sensitive personal information.

The company did not confirm whether it had active tools that recorded information about the users who were able to access the database. Still, while the database was available, anyone who knew Dexiga’s public IP address was able to access it via a web browser online.

On the same topic, earlier this month, a cybersecurity expert warned about the dangers of cyberattacks for casinos. Dan Lohrmann, a cybersecurity expert with extensive experience, revealed that gambling operators who fall victim to cyberattacks may be subject to further attacks unless they take proper action. Lohrmann said that even if gambling operators settle a matter by paying ransom, they are still vulnerable unless changes are implemented to their cybersecurity policies.

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Divestment of assets isn’t uncommon for gambling operators across the globe. If a certain digital asset is a burden or a specific property is underperforming, operators often explore a wide range of options, including potential sales or mergers.

Currently, the leading gaming and entertainment company, Caesars Entertainment, has four casinos across Indiana. The list of properties includes Caesars Southern Indiana Hotel and Casino, Horseshoe Hammond, Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing and Casino and Horseshoe Indianapolis.

An ongoing focus for Caesars is to reduce its financial liabilities. The potential sale of two of its Indiana properties is one way this can be achieved, an analyst suggests. Shaun Kelley, a senior research analyst for Bank of America, recently revealed that Caesars may consider divesting two of its casinos.

The venues that may be sold are Horseshoe Indianapolis and Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The divestment of the two properties is expected to raise close to $2 billion in net proceeds for Caesars, Kelley estimates. Additionally, the analyst explained that the finalization of the company’s projects in Danville and New Orleans may further boost its growth.

“We expect this sale to raise nearly $2 billion in net proceeds that should reduce traditional and lease-adjusted leverage below five times and close to their targeted range.“

Shaun Kelley, senior research analyst for Bank of America

Possible Buyer Is VICI Properties

The sale of two of Caesars’ casinos in Indiana may be completed by divestment of Centaur Holdings, the holding company of the two properties. The potential buyer, according to the analyst, could be VICI Properties, the owner and acquirer of real estate assets within the hospitality, gaming, leisure and entertainment sectors.

Despite Kelley’s prediction, Caesars is yet to confirm or reject the possible divestment of assets in Indiana. With the start of the year, the leading gaming and entertainment company confirmed the date when it will be releasing its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2023. At the time, Caesars said that its results would be released upon market close on Tuesday, February 20, 2023.

On the same day, the company will also host a conference, discussing its latest results as well as other important matters. If Caesars considers the aforementioned divestment, it may be one of the topics up for discussion on that day.

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The second-largest gaming and entertainment operator on the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Entertainment, parted ways with up to ten of its entertainment executives, a new report claims. As announced by the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week, up to ten high-ranking entertainment executives were left out.

The latest report cites sources close to the matter, yet at the time of writing, Caesars hasn’t publicly disclosed any details on the topic. News about the number of executives that reportedly departed from the company follow the leave of Jason Gastwirth, Caesars’ president of entertainment. Back in December, Gastwirth confirmed his plans to step down from the company, ending his 13-year tenure.

According to the recent report, executives that may have been affected include Amy Naples, Jessica Tindor and Chris Yancey. Reportedly, Paul Shlisky, Mike Hodin and Mark Weinstein also parted ways with Caesars.

The departure of entertainment executives coincided with the start of Amy Graca’s tenure as senior vice president of entertainment at Caesars on January 2. Before assuming her new role, she held the position of senior vice president of ticketing at the leading gaming and entertainment company.

Additionally, Caesars confirmed its plans to release its fourth quarter and full year results for 2023. Last week, the company confirmed it would release its report on February 20, 2024.

The Company Hasn’t Confirmed a Reason for the Reshuffle

The leading gaming and entertainment giant is yet to confirm the reason for the senior-level reshuffle within its entertainment division. Currently, Caesars operates some of the most popular casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, including Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, as well as The LINQ Hotel + Experience, among others.

Back in December, Caesars Digital inked an important partnership, allowing it to grow its North American footprint. At the time, the company confirmed it joined forces with Hacksaw Gaming in a new deal for the market in Ontario, Canada. As a result, the leading iGaming content provider’s portfolio will be able to reach new customers through Caesars Digital.

Upon confirming the announcement, Caesars Digital revealed that the titles from Hacksaw Gaming will be integrated into Caesars Sportsbook and Casino, as well as Caesars Palace Online Casino. The two platforms currently operate within the regulated online gambling market in the province.

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This is according to analysts from JPMorgan who seem to be inclined to believe that the newly-established regulatory body, the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority or GCGRA is expected to move quicker than anticipated and possibly present the laws that would make it possible to introduce gambling.

Already the Groundwork for Something Bigger

The regulator earlier this year added a number of well-seasoned industry veterans whose expertise should in theory make it much simpler for the authority to set up everything it needs. Jim Murren was appointed chairman and Kevin Mullay stepped in as the CEO of the new watchdog.

So, why would the GCGRA move so quickly? JPMorgan seems inclined to believe that the regulator is keen to get all details hammered out and make sure that the upcoming $3.9-billion resort spearheaded by Wynn will be arriving in time for its scheduled date.

The upcoming project is expected to have a larger gaming area than Wynn Las Vegas, even, making it a formidable project that is doubly important because of its strategic geographical location. Analyst Joseph Greff said:

We think progress is being made with respect to gaming law enactment, a gaming license being issued, property level financing being secured, and partner equity contributions and construction accelerates. As such, we think investors will start to assess and ascribe the net equity value here.

JPMorgan analyst Joseph Greff

Of course, Wynn Resorts is not the only one hoping to secure a foothold in what would be one of the most lucrative opportunities in the gambling industry.

Las Vegas Giants Ogling the Middle East Opportunity of Their Lives

MGM Resorts International may be looking to establish a non-gaming property in Dubai at first, and hoping to further expand with a casino should local authorities agree to such a transition.

The truth is that Wynn Resorts will definitely retain the upper hand, but this is not to say that by 2027, there won’t be more projects underway in the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates in particular. The GCGRA seems likely to hurry up and present at least a draft of gambling laws in the coming months, and possibly before the year is out.

This timeline actually coincides with MGM’s previous hopes to see the gambling industry in the region get underway even sooner.

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Gaming in Macau continued to recover in May but is still far below the pre-pandemic levels according to the monthly report by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).

2023 Upward Industry Trend Continues

The agency overseeing the gaming market in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China revealed that in May gambling operators registered gross gaming revenue (GGR) of MOP$ 15.57 billion ($1.92 billion), an increase of 366% compared to MOP$ 3.34 billion ($413 million) in May 2022.

The May GGR is 5.73% up to MOP$ 14.72 billion ($1.82 billion) registered by the market in April, confirming the market upward trend from February but the rate of sequential monthly increase continued to decrease.

GGR for the first five months of 2023 amounted to MOP$ 64.93 billion ($8.02 billion), which compared to the amount registered in the same five-month period in the year prior (MOP$ 23.79 billion ($2.94 billion)) represents an increase of 173%.

GGR in May 2023 is down 40% compared to the pre-pandemic level of MOP$ 25.95 billion ($3.21 billion) registered in May 2019, while the cumulative figure is down 48.3% from MOP$ 125.69 billion ($15.53 billion), suggesting that the market is still far from reaching the point from which it began descending.

The May GGR figure was also positively influenced by the “May Day” Golden Week holiday period at the start of the month during which international visitations reached almost half a million, bringing hotel occupancy rates to 85%.

Lifting the Restrictions Raised Optimism

After seeing the gambling industry plunge by 50% in 2022 and the New Year’s holiday visitations disappoint, the Macau government removed quarantine requirements for inbound travels to the SAR for all nationalities starting from January 8, allowing visitations from mainland China to resume. Testing requirements for visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were also lifted.

The effect of the measures was seen almost immediately and the market registered an increase of 82.5% in January GGR, stirring optimism among investors that the industry is on a path to recovery. Later in February, Morgan Stanley issued a note, revising upwards its 2023 GGR and EBITDA estimates.

Macau’s chief executive Ho Iat Seng was even more bullish than investment banks, claiming that the gaming industry in the SAR could easily achieve MOP$ 130 billion ($16 billion) in 2023 GGR, confident of the continuing recovery in the year and beyond.

AGA’s president and chief executive officer Bill Miller was the latest to express his optimism about the gaming industry recovery in Macau. Speaking at the three-day G2E Asia in Singapore, Miller pointed to the SAR, the Philippines and Singapore as examples of strong recovering markets in this part of the world.

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An annual survey of the state of the online gambling market in the Netherlands showed signs of market maturing but legal market recognition for the public has barely increased.

Gamblers Increase, Risk Gamblers Stable

The Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA) Online Gaming Barometer, an annual report on the online market conducted by market research and public opinion specialist, IPSOS, since 2021 revealed that the local market is showing early signs of maturity.

The latest edition of the consumer survey showed that more and more Dutch people are gambling online now compared to two years ago while the number of those doing it with an unlicensed gambling provider is falling, with 94% currently choosing the safer and responsible gambling environment of a licensed provider.

The NOGA barometer also showed that 14% of the adult population of the country is gambling online, marking an increase from the 11% registered in the previous report. Most online players are either men or young adults, just like last year, but the share of young players went up from 21% in 2022 to 30% now.

The frequency of play has increased compared to the previous year, too, explained by the preference of players to gamble via their smartphones, with online sports betting and online casino being their preferred gambling verticals.

The growing number of young players is the main reason behind the increase from 8% to 14% in risk gamblers seen among young adults. And researchers believe this tendency may continue in line with the growing market, pointing out that it is part of gambling providers’ responsibilities to limit this increase.

Despite the increase in the number of gamblers and the increase in young risk gamblers, the share of risk gambling in the country is not increasing significantly, with the majority of the players agreeing that gambling addiction is a major risk.

Fewer Ads but Recognition Remains Challenging

The Dutch now believe that gambling harm prevention is a major responsibility of gambling providers, with almost 9 out of 10 respondents expecting gambling firms to provide information about the risks associated with online gambling.

Contrary to what Franc Weerwind, the Dutch minister for legal protection believes, the survey showed encouraging results for the industry’s self-regulating approach to advertising as fewer participants have seen gambling advertisements in the past year.

A major area where the gambling regime is not delivering is public recognition of legal providers which has not, or barely increased since the legalization of online gambling in October 2021, with more than two-thirds of the players unable to distinguish between a licensed operator and an offshore provider.

NOGA director Peter-Paul de Goeij commented that this area is really important for the market, stressing that “whether or not you have gambled before; it must be as easy and clear as possible to identify licensed safe providers, especially if that recognition deteriorates again due to the upcoming advertising ban.”

“It is up to us, together with the government, to make the licensed offer even safer in the coming years and thus protect online gamblers even better – while the licensed offer remains attractive enough to keep them away from illegal activities,” he concluded.

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A joint appearance of Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) executives before an online gambling inquiry that is seen as key to further regulation tightening led to speculation that both sporting bodies are changing their stance against changes.

AFL’s chief executive officer, Gill McLachlan and his NRL counterpart, Andrew Abdo, will appear together during a public hearing on Tuesday in Canberra as part of the online gambling inquiry initiated by the government to determine whether further tightening of the gambling regulation is needed, reported Australian Financial Review.

Their appearance side-by-side is stirring rumors within the gambling industry that the country’s top sports administrators will present a united front on the proposed tightening of the betting advertising rules despite the submissions made by their respective sporting codes claiming that the current regime is appropriate and needs no further regulation.

“Since the sport codes made their written submission, we have received substantial evidence contradicting their claim that the current rules around [the] promotion of online sports betting are appropriate,” commented the chair of the inquiry, Labor MP Peta Murphy.

Pleased to see that both executives agreed to appear together, Murphy noted that “this will be their opportunity to tell the committee and the public whether they have considered that evidence and the broader community sentiment.”

Change of Position Is Likely

McLachlan implied that there may be a change in AFL’s recommendation that no further changes be made during a Melbourne radio interview in which he admitted that the amount of gambling advertising was “probably too much” and “in your face.”

He also explained that the league’s set of restrictions “are being reviewed at the moment, hinting that “probably they will be wound tighter,” but underlining that the AFL does not “believe in prohibition because all it does is drive it underground or offshore and that has its own set of problems.”

A recently released survey by the Australian Gambling Research Centre showed that more than half of Australians supported an outright ban on gambling advertising. Data also revealed that 41% of the survey respondents had been exposed to gambling advertising four or more times per week.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies also posted the results of a survey showing that three in every four Australians had gambled at least once in the past 12 months, 38% of which doing it on a weekly basis, claiming that at least half of those gambling are at risk of experiencing gambling-related issues.

Other industry executives set to appear before the inquiry will be the CEOs of Tabcorp and Sportsbet, Adan Rytenskild and Barni Evans, former Queensland premier Anna Bligh for the Australian Banking Association, and ex-federal cabinet minister who chairs the industry Responsible Wagering Australia group, Nick Minchin.

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