Guide to Network Security for the iGaming Business

Casino Market experts discuss attacks on entertainment projects, protection methods, real-life cases, and statistics.

About the Concept and Its Importance

In the gambling niche, the concept is a set of tools and technologies designed to provide:

• data protection for clients and staff (private details, payment info, activity);
• availability of services;
• integrity of systems;
• confidentiality;
• compliance with laws and standards (GDPR, PCI DSS, etc.).

Operators manage substantial cash flows, are responsible for protecting terabytes of info, and interact with thousands of gamblers from various countries. Any disruption entails financial sanctions, as well as a loss of credibility and the audience’s trust.

According to Cloud Curated, until the end of 2025, there will be 358% more cyber threats. Betting and telecommunications sectors have suffered the most.

Since the beginning of this year, the provider has recorded 20.5 million incidents, further highlighting the vulnerability of online services.

According to research by ZipDo Education Reports, by the end of 2024:

• 74% of iGaming companies faced cyber threats;
• 55% of operators were subjected to interventions using ransomware programs;
• $2.5 million is the average cost of damage caused to casino brands.

One of the most well-known cases in 2025 was the combined attack on Flutter Entertainment. The hacker intrusion affected over 800,000 users since their IP addresses, e-mail, and activity logs were compromised.

The firm’s representative confirmed in an interview for the BBC that the enterprise “experienced a data breach incident”.

Why Gaming Sites Are Hacked

Virtual casinos remain extremely attractive targets. The main motive for such attacks is monetary gain.

Having access to internal systems, delinquents can:

• infiltrate the payment services and withdraw funds;
• steal databases containing personal and economic information to sell them on the darknet;
• inject malware by encrypting servers and demanding a ransom.

In such cases, entrepreneurs are forced not only to deal with the aftermath of the incident but also suffer direct damages due to website downtimes and loss of user trust.

Competitors can also initiate hacker attacks, seeking to cause financial harm and ruin the image of their opponents.

Such unscrupulous methods may include:

• port scanning and system overload during peak hours, when hundreds of players are active;
• website hacking and placement of malicious links leading to competitors' portals.

What Cyber Threats Operators Face

Let us consider the most common types of interference in the gambling field.

Port Scan Attacks

Cybercriminals do not always start illegal actions immediately.

They often preliminarily scan the server to find out:

• which ports (entry points into the gaming system) are open;
• what kind of services and applications are still working, and whether they have any vulnerabilities.

Online casino platforms constantly face such attacks because they:

• use payment gateways, API providers, CRM, etc.;
• run on server platforms with multiple ports (MySQL, Redis, SSH, and FTP).

The application of firewalls, constant activity monitoring, and IP access restrictions will help entrepreneurs protect their digital resources against port scan attacks. It is also important to be careful and promptly close any “gaps”.

Ransomware

This is the encryption and blocking of access to data or gaming services to obtain a ransom:

• first, criminals, often under the guise of ordinary customers, inject malware into the casino website's structure;
• next, such programs encrypt files, making them unavailable;
• finally, operators are required to pay a ransom for the decryption key.

One of the most famous examples from recent years is the attack on SBTech 5 years ago.

The incident occurred during the provider's merger with the DraftKings bookmaker and cost the brand $30 million. The money was spent on litigation and dealing with the aftermath of the intrusion.

DDoS Attacks

The term means a flood of false requests or traffic from multiple sources that overload servers, making iGaming platforms unavailable.

For example, the international hosting provider Continent 8 records thousands of DDoS events per quarter, including those related to the digital casino niche.

In this case, operators face:

• loss of revenues due to downtime and temporary blocking of websites;
• fines from regulators;
• additional restoration costs;
• reputational damage.

SQL Injection and XSS

Criminals implement malicious SQL code or XSS scripts into a registration form, URL, or comment field.

If the security system is vulnerable, attackers can use SQL and XSS files to gain instant access to the database. They can then modify content, steal confidential info, and redirect Internet traffic to third-party resources.

Features of protection from such a threat include:

• validation of details;
• connection of SSL gateways for encryption;
• the use of secure protocols for data transmission;
• addition of code analysis systems.

Brute-Force Attacks

This is a type of cyber intrusion in which criminals attempt to guess the login and password for a client’s profile or admin panel. They try all possible combinations of symbols until they find the correct one.

In the context of gambling, such attacks are especially dangerous for several reasons:

• virtual casinos and betting platforms have numerous accounts with funds;
• if successful, fraudsters can steal balances, bonuses, or personal data, and redirect payouts.

To limit login attempts is a simple but efficient method of protection against brute-force attacks. After 3–5 failed efforts, it is worth temporarily blocking an account or IP. It is also possible to use exponential back-off and increase the waiting time before the next endeavour to enter the iGaming site with each new error.

Phishing and Social Engineering

This type of cyber fraud also aims to deceive players and operators in order to steal credentials, funds, or confidential info. The groups of hackers perform the following actions:

• create fake platforms;
• send e-mails and SMS messages that are not real;
• post links to malicious websites and apps;
• offer generous bonuses;
• develop duplicate applications so that victims can independently enter their credentials.

Since the human factor plays a key role here, phishing is often associated with social engineering.

For example, attackers might impersonate technical support staff. They fraudulently gain access to personal and banking data, and then use it to break into accounts and steal money. Another common option is sending employees e-mails with malicious links and attachments.

CMS and Plug-In Vulnerabilities

These are errors in the software code that allow criminals to perform unauthorised actions. Hackers can modify information, inject the wrong key, or completely take over an entertainment portal.

Main types of vulnerabilities include:

1. RCE (Remote Code Execution). This helps run arbitrary code on the server.
2. Authentication and authorisation errors. They allow scammers to access the admin panel.
3. Vulnerabilities when downloading files. This is how malicious details are added and executed.
4. Directory Traversal/Deserialisation. They grant access to the platform's system files.

To protect themselves, operators need to promptly update their CMS and plug-ins and use only the latest and most current versions of products.

How to Protect Casinos from Hacking

The reliability of iGaming startups is a key element of trust on the part of players and B2B partners. Data loss, intrusions, or leakage of confidential information can not only lead to monetary loss but also damage the project's reputation. Let us consider how to build a strong security system for an entertainment resource.

SSL Certificate and HTTPS Protocol

The support for the Secure Sockets Layer connection is a mandatory requirement for any modern digital betting business. This solution encrypts details transmitted between the user's browser and the server, preventing them from being intercepted.

HTTPS is a secure version of standard HTTP. The protocol is responsible for the encrypted exchange of personal data, payment information, and logins. Even if fraudsters manage to learn some confidential facts, they will not be able to decrypt and use them.

Entrepreneurs should use EV (Extended Validation) certificates. They confirm the authenticity of companies and increase the audience’s trust.

Secure Hosting

It is important to choose providers that:

• create isolated server environments (VPS, VDS);
• support firewalls and DDoS protection;
• regularly update software;
• have geographically distributed data centres.

Access Control

Restriction of customers’ rights and their monitoring are one of the key aspects of online casino security.

Each employee should enter only those sections that are essential for their work. It is also important to create individual usernames and passwords rather than shared accounts, regularly check the activity log, and block unutilised profiles.

Updating CMS and Plug-Ins

When they are outdated, most cyber attacks on websites occur.

To reduce the risk of intrusion, it is necessary to:

• use only official and verified add-ons;
• configure automatic updates, if possible;
• test plug-ins for compatibility before final installation;
• create database backups before any renewal.

Staff Training

Even the most reliable and well-thought-out system can be compromised by human error. Competent and trained staff, on the contrary, will become a reliable barrier to any hacker attack.

Key responsibilities of project owners:

• regularly conduct special training for employees;
• explain the dangers of phishing and social engineering;
• implement a policy for creating strong passwords and changing them regularly;
• monitor the use of service devices and networks.

Hidden Admin Directories

Operators can make things more difficult for attackers by changing the path to the administrative panel.

Casino owners can rename the standard directories (/admin, /wp-admin) to unique names. It is also important to restrict access to them via IP address or server-level password protection (HTTP Auth), and add CAPTCHA and two-factor authentication for login.

What to Do If a Gaming Site Has Already Been Hacked

Let us look at how to act in an emergency situation to minimise damage and quickly regain control of the platform:

1. Close the resource from external access. It is important to place the portal in maintenance mode or temporarily disable it. So as not to cause a panic among players, it is worth warning them, but without mentioning the hack.
2. Change all passwords. These include access keys to the hosting control panel, as well as keywords to the database, CMS, and e-mail associated with the domain.
3. Scan files for malicious code. Operators need to determine what exactly was compromised. It is possible to download a backup copy of the website and use an online scanner. After that, the next step would be to compare the current files with the original CMS versions to find injected scripts.
4. Restore the portal from the backup. Before deployment, all compromised files and databases should be deleted. Besides, it is important to scan the backup for viruses.
5. Update the system, CMS, and plug-ins. Entrepreneurs should also remove all unused extensions and old backups from public directories.
6. Examine server logs. To prevent incidents from happening again, casino owners need to understand how the attackers penetrated their websites. To do this, it is essential to check the access logs (access.log) and error logs (error.log) for suspicious IP addresses/requests, and analyse logins to the admin panel at unusual times or from unfamiliar devices.
7. Strengthen security. After eliminating the consequences of hacking, operators should enhance the protection to ensure something like this does not happen again.

How the Casino Market Can Help

We supply certified security software that will protect your iGaming platform from cyber attacks, data leakage, etc.

Our portfolio includes products from Accertify, Yoti, Featurespace, Trans Union, Bet IT Best, and other industry leaders. These modern, multi-tasking solutions feature automatic system updates, instant blocking of hacking attempts, and other useful options.

For example, Yoti supplies biometric verification software, and Bet IT Best offers security scripts for the protection of bookmakers.

From Casino Market, it is also possible to order turnkey projects with all components necessary for a quick launch, including security modules.

The Main Things about the Prevention of Cyber Threats

The entertainment industry faces constant hacker raids.

• Fraudsters launch DDoS attacks and use flaws of CMS and plug-ins. SQL/XSS injections and penetration through open ports also cause significant damage.
• To protect betting sites, entrepreneurs should apply hosting, SSL certificates, and HTTPS protocols. Early updating of the CMS and plug-ins, staff training, and access control will also help prevent cyber attacks.

Casino Market helps with the launch and further support of iGaming projects, licensing, and traffic acquisition.

Order Service

James Burton The Casino Market partner, the owner of the gambling establishments’ network

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