Buddy Frank
Gaming Authority/Historian WGPC EmceeRaised in Northern Nevada, Buddy Frank has been hooked on gaming since he used crayons to mark his mom’s Keno tickets while dining at local casinos. Buddy started covering the industry as a TV journalist after graduation from the University of Nevada, Reno. After a decade of reporting, he made the transition first to casino marketing and eventually slot operations. After 30 years with various casinos in senior executive positions, Buddy retired from full-time work at Pechanga Resort & Casino in 2016. He now runs a consulting service, BF Slot Strategies, where his focus remains on slot performance, systems, analytics and team training. Buddy edits the “Frank Floor Talk” column and contributes as a writer to CDC Gaming Reports, an industry E-newsletter. He also teaches classes on gaming/marketing at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).
SESSION DESCRIPTION
Casinos Share Lessons Learned from Cyber Attacks
Ransomware attacks are on the rise globally and cyber criminal gangs have stepped up their attacks on casinos. In 2023 a record number of casinos in North America had their computer systems attacked, resulting in stolen information and disruption to operations. The problem just got real – the risk has now been escalated onto the radars of casino executives, investors, regulators, vendors, customers and employees around the world. Cyber criminals share information amongst themselves, it’s time for casinos to fight back and do the same thing. In this power discussion representatives from casinos that have been attacked in recent years come together to share valuable insights and lessons learned to help us increase awareness and understand the issues we will deal with when hit with a ransomware attack.