Las Vegas handles things differently than other cities. That has to be the case when you have built a tourism business based on excess and indulgence.
Few people come to Las Vegas to have a responsibly good time. That doesn't mean every trip to the Las Vegas Strip becomes the hangover, but most Sin City visitors want to spend as much time as possible gambling, eating, being entertained, and generally having a good time.
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The cyberattack on MGM Resorts International's MGM Las Vegas properties on Sept. 10 interfered with the good times. And while the attackers details are not fully known, the impact of the attack was severe.
MGM (MGM) -) had its reservation system as well as its gaming systems brought down. That's not a small thing as it paralyzed operations at the MGM Grand, Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan, Park MGM, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, New York-New York, NoMad, Delano, and Vdara.
The attack impacted slot machines, sports betting kiosks, ATMs, and loyalty program reward machines. Digital rooms keys also stopped working leading to huge lines at the front desk of each impacted hotel.
It was a massive attack that forced the resort operator to move to as many manual systems as possible. MGM did a good job under the circumstances, but there was little the company could do to fully replace its heavily automated systems.
The attack crippled the company for days and likely sent a lot of gamblers to the nearby Caesars Entertainment (CZR) -) resort casinos as well as to other rivals on the Strip. Another Las Vegas stalwart took a more "Sin City" approach to helping MGM's customers deal with the frustration.
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An only in Las Vegas offer
While the Las Vegas Strip offers a lot of ways to have fun, a strip club is not one of them. To get a lap dance, you need to head off-Strip and Larry Flynt's Hustler Club is one of the leading locations.
In a very Las Vegas gesture, Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club has decided to ease the pain for MGM's customers by offering them free lap dances. You do have to be at least 21 and you will need to prove that you have a reservation at one of the impacted resort casinos from Sept. 10 onward.
“Our hearts go out to both the employees as well as the tourists who have been affected by this devastating event,” Hustler Club General Manager Brittany Rose told TMZ.
The gentleman's club will also provide transportation to or from Harry Reid International Airport. And, the promotion is working, as Rose reported that business has picked up with the club's strippers pulling in an average of $2,000 per night.
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The Las Vegas Strip is on edge
With the cause of the cyberattack unknown, and Caesars being victim of a recent similar attack, every power flicker or machine glitch has casino operators and guests worried that another attack has taken place. The Venetian, for example, released a statement denying that a cyberattack was why some of its slot machines briefly went out.
"Today, we experienced a brief outage of some of our slot machines. vThis was not a cyber-related incident. Slot machines have now been restored, and we are working with guests who were impacted," the company shared.
MGM has provided few details about its attack and has not shared whether it paid a ransom to get the attackers to stop.
"Citing an ongoing investigation, MGM Resorts has yet to confirm what kind of cyberattack it is facing or what customer data, if any, was stolen. However, according to the credit rating firm Moody’s, it faces potential revenue losses, litigation, and a big hit to its reputation regardless of the damage the attack did," Casino.org reported.
Investors noticed the problem. MGM Resorts shares fell every day last week and closed Friday at $41.08, down 1.2% and 6.1% on the week. Caesars Entertainment shares slipped 3.8% for the week and were off 1.3% on Friday at $52.87.
