Glitch Gives Players Huge Sums After Slot Provider Amatic’s Servers Get Hacked

Servers belonging to Austrian slots games supplier Amatic Industries, which supplies games to Slotegrator, got hacked on April 17, which resulted in some Russian-language players winning way more money than supposed to.

Amatic Industries Gets Hacked

The cybersecurity incident affected several of the provider’s games, which include Book of Aztec, Lucky Joker 10, Lucky Joker 10 Extra Gifts, Lucky Joker 10 Cashspins, and Lucky Joker 20. As a result, these games produced winnings at a much more frequent rate than they are usually supposed to.

Slotegrator stated that the issue was entirely on Amatic’s side and originated within the server infrastructure where the games were hosted. In a LinkedIn post, the aggregator added that it prioritises transparency and close cooperation with all partners. Slotegrator explained that it would provide full technical support and assist in investigations in such cases. However, it noted that final conclusions can only be drawn after a detailed analysis by the game owner.

According to reports, the games started awarding prizes on every third spin. This enabled some players to quickly amass substantial winnings, which they then attempted to withdraw with varying degrees of success, according to comments on Russian-language forums.

At the same time, while some players were able to cash out their earnings, others had their accounts frozen or banned by online casinos. Illustrating the scale of the issue, one player reportedly turned a $3.50 bet into $1,200 in a short period.

Hacks aren’t the only ways players can get cash they didn’t actually win, as technical errors can also result in that. Such is the recent case of William Hill, where a system error credited players with large sums of money, even though they didn’t actually win. The company is currently trying to return millions, after many players withdrew their newfound balances.

Cybersecurity Issues In the Gambling Industry Are on the Rise, Expert Says

According to cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg, the breach of Amatic’s server infrastructure reflects a broader trend in cybercrime. Steinberg argued that offshore casinos operating in legal grey areas are particularly attractive targets, describing them as “almost ideal targets” due to the large volumes of easily transferable funds they handle.

Steinberg also explained that the jurisdictional complexity surrounding sites such as Vodka.Bet and Vavada provide hackers with significant cover. According to him, targeting entities already perceived as questionable in the Western world greatly increases the likelihood of perpetrators evading consequences. There, victims often lack access to reliable law enforcement channels to prevent such cases or help in the aftermath.

Of course, not all hackers can evade the law, as recently, one DraftKings hacker was sentenced to 30 months after being involved in a scheme to steal more than $600,000 from the company.