Las Vegas is used to teenagers trying to sneak into nightclubs, not casinos’ computer systems. Yet police say one teen played hacker instead of poker, and the stakes could not have been higher.
Back in 2023, MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment were blindsided by cyberattacks that shut down slot machines, froze hotel check-ins, and even left guests locked out of their rooms. It was chaos on the Strip. Guests carried plastic key cards that suddenly turned into useless souvenirs while staff scrambled with pen and paper like it was 1985.
This week Metro Police said a teenager has been arrested in connection with those attacks. He is accused of working with Scattered Spider, a crew that specializes in tricking call center employees into handing over credentials. Prosecutors want him tried as an adult, with charges including identity theft, conspiracy, and extortion.
“The Clark County District Attorney’s Office is seeking to transfer the juvenile to the criminal division, where he would face these charges as an adult.” A press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department read.
Déjà Vu in the Casino Space
If the whole thing sounds like a one-off stunt, think again. Cyber crews have been hitting US companies over and over. Just earlier this year, Clorox confirmed it was still recovering from a ransomware hit that disrupted product supplies nationwide. Like casinos, they had to explain to customers why the basics suddenly stopped working. Different industries, same headache.
Just as earlier this month Boyd Gaming, which owns casinos across ten states, reported a data breach that exposed employee information. So even now, with arrests being made, the threat is very real and active.
When the House Gets Hacked
Casinos like to say the house always wins, but the MGM and Caesars breaches proved the odds can turn sideways fast. Reports suggest Caesars paid a ransom, while MGM refused and took a financial hit in the hundreds of millions. That kind of money is usually made at the tables, not lost to a teenager behind a screen.
Vegas will patch its servers and tighten its firewall. But the arrest is a reminder that cyberattacks are not the work of shadowy masterminds alone. Sometimes they are led by kids who know their way around a phone call and a login screen.
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