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NETSCOUT Report Reveals Increase in Global DDoS Attacks
At a time when the online gaming and gambling sector is increasingly facing cyber threats, the rise of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks has become a major concern. According to the findings from NETSCOUT’s latest DDoS Threat Intelligence report, the gaming industry – also encompassing gambling associated with gaming – has been a top target for DDoS attacks.
Historically, 80-90% of all DDoS attacks are related to video games and online gambling. The report reveals that over 100,000 DDoS attacks were launched against video game publishers, and more than 20,500 against gambling-related companies in 2023. These attacks are often launched during online gaming tournaments in an attempt to disrupt competitors. The extensive gambling activity taking place around these events also introduces the potential for financial gain in the event of successfully attacking opponents and their networks.
The victims, typically online gaming companies, suffer substantial financial losses and must exert significant efforts to restore their services. This increased vulnerability is due to the sector’s strong dependence on digital infrastructure, making gaming platforms prime targets for cybercriminals.
Philippe Alcoy, security technologist at NETSCOUT, highlights a marked increase in attacks, often motivated by financial interests and the importance of comprehensive network visibility:
“It is clear that the situation is worsening, with incidents like the recent attacks against Blizzard Entertainment and Final Fantasy 14 in February and May 2024, where massive waves of traffic were deliberately sent to overload servers, thus harming the online player experience. These attacks are not just a minor inconvenience; they threaten the integrity and stability of the entire digital game ecosystem. While primarily profit driven, these attacks may also aim to harm competitors or occur in the context of disputes among players, particularly in networked games.
“In the online gaming and gambling sectors, where attacks can occur at any moment, having a precise mapping of network activity is essential to maintain service continuity and protect critical resources. To anticipate attacks before they cause significant damage, comprehensive network visibility is necessary to not only detect and respond quickly to incidents, but to also understand and analyse traffic.
“It is crucial that online gaming operators strengthen their security measures to guard against DDoS attacks, which aim not only to disrupt but also to destabilise companies economically and operationally. Attackers are exploiting the specific vulnerabilities of these digital platforms, often during peak user connection times, to maximise the impact of their attacks. Companies must therefore integrate DDoS resilience as an essential component of their security strategy, not only to protect their operations but also to maintain player trust – which is fundamental in this competitive sector.”
The post NETSCOUT Report Reveals Increase in Global DDoS Attacks appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Levy announcement: GamCare statement and data
Statement:
Mark Weiss, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and External Affairs at GamCare, commented: “We welcome today’s announcement from the Government on the statutory levy and look forward to working with the NHS, other providers and future commissioners to ensure the success of the new treatment, prevention and research system.
“At GamCare, our priority is making sure that people who need support for gambling harms receive it as quickly and effectively as possible. With a record 55,000 people calling the National Gambling Helpline last year alone, now is the right time for this important clarity on the future system.
“With 27 years’ experience running the National Gambling Helpline, GamCare plays a vital role ensuring people can access gambling harms support when they need it most.
“Just as we welcome this renewed focus on treatment, we recognise the importance of protecting vulnerable people, particularly children, before harms escalate. That’s why we welcome the Government’s emphasis on prevention. Having witnessed a steep rise in our Helpline callers citing difficulties with online slots, GamCare further welcomes the introduction of new youth-focussed stake limits – an important step in preventing future harm.”
Additional new data from GamCare
- Almost half of calls (45%) to the National Gambling Helpline now cite issues with online slot machine games.
- The proportion of calls to the National Gambling Helpline citing issues with online slot machine games has increased by one-third since the pandemic, according to the gambling support charity GamCare.
- The charity found that, of the 6697 callers who disclosed a form of gambling to Advisers on the Helpline in 2023-2024*, 45 per cent cited challenges with gambling on online slot games, a figure which stood at 34 per cent in 2020-2021.
Activity | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 |
Online Slots | 33.6% | 45.8% | 43.9% | 44.6% |
The post Levy announcement: GamCare statement and data appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Play’n GO announces exclusive game launch with Hard Rock Bet
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced the release of a new game title available exclusively to Hard Rock Bet online casino players in New Jersey.
Play’n GO recently announced the beginning of its partnership with Hard Rock Digital to provide premium content for its highly-rated Hard Rock Bet online casino in New Jersey.
The Swedish-founded gaming giant partnered up with the renowned global entertainment brand to create Hard Rock Pork N Roll, a spin-off of another wildly popular Play’n GO title, Piggy Blitz. The resulting game is the outcome of many months of collaboration and is predicted to entertain Hard Rock Bet players in the same style as its predecessor.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO, commented “Our formal partnership with Hard Rock Digital is still in its relative infancy, but many months of work have gone into both the partnership itself and the design of this game, with input from both businesses. We’re excited by this new exclusive title, and it is a testament to the innovation and creativity of our game designers to create a fun spin-off of one of our classic titles. Hard Rock Pork N Roll is sure to be a huge success- the name of the game alone makes it stand out as an instant classic! This game is evidence of our ability to create top-quality, bespoke content for all of our customers, something we’re looking forward to doing more of in future.”
Grant Williams, SVP-Casino, Hard Rock Digital added “Our ‘Only at Hard Rock’ section continues to grow with another exclusive, bespoke experience and the addition of Hard Rock Pork N Roll—an immersive title that seamlessly weaves signature Hard Rock elements into the gameplay. Working with Play’n Go on this custom creation has set the standard for future collaboration, and we’re confident that Hard Rock Pork N Roll will quickly become a headliner among the 2,300+ games on our top-rated app.”
To find out more about Play’n GO and its Hard Rock Digital partnership, as well as its US activity, please visit playngo.com.
The post Play’n GO announces exclusive game launch with Hard Rock Bet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Stretch Network announces Black Friday Weekend Tournament
Black Friday Weekend is here! Stretch Network introduces another player-focused initiative – the Black Friday Weekend promotion. Running from November 29th to December 1st, this event offers up to 90% discounts on buy-ins for the World Poker League tournament series.
Here’s how it works:
- Players register for special phase tournaments at a reduced cost.
- These 2-minute events don’t require player actions and provide the same starting stack as the target tournament.
- After the phase tournament ends, players are automatically registered for the main event.
- Players already in the target tournament will have their stacks combined for added excitement.
Raise with us to go all-in on player satisfaction.
The post Stretch Network announces Black Friday Weekend Tournament appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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