Bally’s Evansville Loses $212,000 to Phishing

A few months after the devastating cyberattacks on MGM and Caesars, Bally’s property in Evansville, Indiana, has become the victim of a phishing scam. As a result, the casino hotel has lost more than $212,000.

As reported by the Evansville Police Department, the Bally’s venue was commissioning a construction firm for work on its property. At one point, however, a caller contacted the casino hotel’s management, claiming that the firm had had to change emails. In addition, the person provided Bally’s with a bank account and routing number for payment for the construction work.

Not suspecting the scam, Bally’s officials did as they were told and ended up paying $212,671 to the scammer. The casino operator immediately contacted the police, prompting an investigation.

While the phishing scam is not exactly a cyberattack, it is part of a larger trend that has seen fraudsters target major commercial casino companies. As mentioned, some of the biggest casino operators in the United States suffered serious security breaches earlier this year, jeopardizing their businesses and inducing millions in losses.

Not the First Time Bally’s Evansville Has Dealt with Crime and Fraudsters

Bally’s Evansville is a property with 45,000 square feet of gaming space. Boasting some 950 slots and 30 electronic and live dealer gaming tables, the venue offers a variety of games to its patrons. In addition to that, sports fans can place wagers at the property’s William Hill-branded sportsbook.

Unfortunately, the phishing attempt is not the first time Bally’s Evansville has had to deal with cases of fraud and crime. A month ago, a suspect in auto theft case was arrested at the property.

Again in November, the police arrested another Bally’s Evansville patron for leaving their child unattended while going to gamble. This reflects an unfortunate trend across the US that has seen irresponsible parents ignore their children while visiting casinos. In November alone, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, for example banned four casino patrons because of such violations.

In March, Bally’s Evansville had to fire a former pit supervisor who was charged with running an illegal poker room called Ed’s Poker Club. The man had been organizing illegal poker games for years, greatly intensifying his efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.