Harrington Raceway & Casino will reopen Saturday, following a shutdown due to “technical difficulties.”
The raceway and casino, one of three in Delaware, announced the 10 a.m. reopening in a Facebook post Friday night. The facility also said the New Year’s Eve party scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Saturday would be held.
Harrington Raceway & Casino had closed Tuesday due to “technical difficulties.”
The company has not commented publicly on the cause of the shutdown beyond a brief statement posted to their Facebook page Thursday afternoon that said technical difficulties were “causing a temporary disruption” to its gaming and computer systems.
Here’s what we know and what we don’t know.
What we know
- Delaware Lottery Director Helene Keeley said at about noon Tuesday that 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 cybersecurity specialists.
- The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement exercises exclusive jurisdiction for the criminal offenses relating to gaming that occur in a licensed video lottery facility. DGE is not investigating any reports of suspicious or criminal activity at Harrington Raceway & Casino, according to Department of Safety and Homeland Security spokesperson Arshon Howard.
- 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.
- Inquiries 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.
What we don’t know
- 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?
Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.
