Continent 8 Technologies’ Regional Sales Directors, Jerad Swimmer and Jamie Garcia, and Principal Solutions Architect, Anthony Engel, recently participated in the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) 2024 Conference and Trade Show.
At the booth, they were showcasing Continent 8’s cybersecurity solutions designed to support tribal casinos in the US.
Here, Jerad, Jamie and Anthony share their key takeaways from the show.
What were your impressions of OIGA 2024?What did you enjoy most about the show?
Jerad Swimmer (JS): OIGA is a show that always delivers. In my opinion, it’s a must-attend event. Although I’ve been to the show before, this was Continent 8’s exhibition debut, and it was impressive to witness the impact our company’s presence had on the attendees. ‘Busy’ barely begins to cover it – we were engaged with attendees from start to finish.
Jamie Garcia (JG): Like Jerad, I’ve experienced OIGA before, but I’m thrilled to have been part of Continent 8’s first OIGA exhibition. It’s an event that showcases all the key players in Oklahoma’s iGaming and online sports betting scene. Moreover, the OIGA organization excels at helping people establish and nurture relationships. They add a personal touch that makes you feel like family.
Anthony Engel (AE): This was my inaugural OIGA experience, and it was quite the introduction! The tradeshow floor was busy, and our booth saw such heavy foot traffic that I rarely had the opportunity to walk the show floor – a nice problem to have.
Continent 8 had a booth at the show. What were the most common trends, themes or frequently asked questions?
JS: Cybersecurity was the number one most common theme throughout the show. Tribal gaming personnel were exploring Continent 8’s cybersecurity offerings and their various use cases. In a number of instances, attendees reported having cybersecurity tools that failed to function properly, or they experienced delayed and unresponsive support from their current cybersecurity providers. In several cases, attendees had suffered multiple attacks, adversely affecting their cybersecurity insurance standing.
JG: If I were to sum it up, the primary concern among attendees was their cybersecurity level, often asking themselves “How secure are we?”. Attendees were sharing stories of cyber incidents, either personal or from other tribal communities, and were seeking advice on cyber defense strategies, from foundational steps to advanced improvements.
AE: The gaming sector, including the tribal gaming community, is a primary target for sophisticated cyber attacks (see Jerad’s latest cybersecurity blog here). Discussions at the show highlighted various cyber threats such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS), ransomware and malware, indicating the diverse nature of potential cyber attacks.
Echoing Jerad’s earlier point, while attendees have some cybersecurity tools and measures in place, a comprehensive 360-degree protection strategy is paramount. It starts with Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) and vulnerability scanning (V-Scan), followed by services that safeguard infrastructure, cloud environments, mobile endpoints – and ones that even account for human behavior and potential errors – to ensure the best cybersecurity posture possible.
What are some things that we should keep an eye on in the future? Do you have any final thoughts?
JS: Cyber threats are ever evolving, necessitating ongoing vigilance to monitor and counteract the tactics of malicious actors seeking to exploit potential vulnerabilities. For over 25 years, Continent 8 has been powering and protecting the iGaming and online sports betting industry. We possess a deep understanding of the evolutionary and innovative technological requirements needed to counteract emerging cyber threats. We invite tribal gaming casinos and organizations seeking to bolster their cybersecurity strategy to get in touch, allowing us to assist them in securing a safer future.
Cybersecurity solutions for a safer tomorrow
Continent 8 provides comprehensive, multi-layered threat prevention, detection and response solutions to secure your tribal organization’s digital assets in the face of evolving cyber threats. For more information on how Continent 8 can support your cybersecurity initiatives, email sales@continent.com or fill out our Contact Us page.
Also be sure to check out our new podcast series: Tribal Talks: Cybersecurity Unlocked. The podcast explores new stories, lessons learnt, best practices and headlines that shape the future of tribal casino gaming and cybersecurity, one episode at a time.
