Land casino database attacked by hackers

Reports Friday that the online poker site SealsWithClubs.com had been hacked have been followed by the news that earlier this year a land casino experienced similar problems with 11 of its operations in Nevada, Colorado, Iowa and Missouri.

Affinity Gaming officials revealed Friday that the hack took place between March 14 and October 16 this year. They were alerted by complaints of fraudulent transactions and recommended to all clients that they check their card statements for suspicious activity and put a fraud alert on their accounts.

The company was notified Oct. 24 about fraudulent charges that may have been linked to an Affinity casino in Iowa. Affinity said it immediately began an investigation that determined the system used throughout the casino chain was infected by malware.

A notice was posted on the company’s website November 14, while Friday’s notice was distributed more broadly.

It wasn’t clear how many cardholders are affected, but company lawyer, Jim Prendergast, estimated it was fewer than 300,000.

Authorities were still investigating the source of the hack, he said.

Affinity Gaming owns five casinos in Nevada: Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; Rail City Casino in Sparks; and Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino, Primm Valley Resort & Casino, and Whiskey Pete’s Hotel & Casino, in Primm, near the California state line.

The company also owns Golden Mardi Gras Casino, Golden Gates Casino and Golden Gulch Casino in Black Hawk, Colo.; Lakeside Hotel & Casino in Osceola, Iowa; Mark Twain Casino & RV Park in La Grange, Mo.; and St. Jo Frontier Casino in St. Joseph, Mo.

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