Harrington Raceway & Casino temporarily closed due to technical issues

Here’s what we know and what we don’t know.

What we know

Delaware Lottery Director Helene Keeley said at about 12 p.m. Tuesday Harrington Raceway CEO Patti Key contacted her to let her know they were closing the casino due to technical difficulties. In a statement Keeley wrote, “Harrington Raceway is a private company and we are confident they will make the proper decisions for its business and its customers.”
In a Facebook post at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Harrington Raceway & Casino said they are experiencing difficulties that are “causing a temporary disruption” to their gaming and computer systems. “We are working diligently to investigate the source of the disruption, confirm its impact on our systems, and restore full functionality to our affected systems as quickly as possible,” the post reads.
The raceway and casino said they have devoted significant resources to resolving the issue, including cyber security specialists.

In May, the casino announced that it was upgrading its gaming floor to the latest iteration of the IGT ADVANTAGE casino management system, which would enable more flexibility for gaming machines and improve performance through real-time floor updates. The new system would also allow the casino to offer personalized in-game offers, bonuses and rewards and enable mobile loyalty cards, according to a press release. IGT Global Communications Officer Phil O’Shaughnessy has not responded to requests for comment.
Inquires to the raceway and casino’s general phone line have been directed to Executive Administrative Assistant Nicole Boone. Boone has not responded to requests for comment. General Manager Mark Schrecengost did not respond to a request for comment.
Harrington Raceway & Casino’s online gambling arm, harringtongamingonline.com, appeared to be functional Thursday afternoon.

When the raceway and casino will reopen.
The nature of the technical issues and whether customer data has been compromised.
Whether the technical issues are internal or external and why cybersecurity experts are needed.
Whether the issues will impact player reward accounts.
Second- and evening-shift employees were told to remain on standby Wednesday afternoon. What is their status now?
Whether the New Year’s Eve party scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Saturday will be affected.