Australia is recognised around the world as the “lucky country” because we are wealthy by international standards, so our businesses have become a growing target for hackers.  Experts at an international threat analysis company have ranked Australia as one of the most targeted countries at risk from devastating ransomware attacks.  Hotels, restaurants, and leisure services ranked among the Top 10 targeted industries.

Over the past few months local hospitality industry experts have identified several cases of hackers installing new malicious software called ‘PerfectData Software’ during hijackings of Microsoft 365 accounts. Industry IT Services specialist Jason Drew, CEO of Secom Technology Group, has already identified it in hacking attacks in several NSW clubs. 

How could my venue be at risk?

Did you know that one small casino in the USA was hacked through the thermometer in a fish tank?

“The attackers used that (a fish-tank thermometer) to get a foothold in the network”, a security expert explained.

“They then found the high-roller database and then pulled that back across the network, out the thermostat, and up to the cloud.”

This highlights the advice provided by Jason Drew, CEO of Secom Technology Group, in an interview at the 2023 Australasian Gaming Expo. Jason confirmed that there are many areas in clubs and pubs that provide opportunities for hackers.

“Hospitality venues hold large data sets of members personal information, with members and guests logging on to local open access Wi-Fi, common use Microsoft accounts and staff often sharing passwords. Every club uses Microsoft software, vulnerable to the new ‘PerfectData Software’ hack, with often limited control over accounts. In all clubs, protecting that data and accounts is critical”.

“We also have older systems that have moved to cloud-based solutions but are using hybrid hardware and firmware updates to support technology that was not designed to connect to the internet, such as our VoIP telephone systems.  They lack the IT security required in today’s world and the hackers know it”.

I guess we can include fish tanks in that list too!

Using a Managed IT service in your club or hotel gives the best security against hackers as these companies constantly monitor and update software patches to ensure there are no loopholes to exploit.

In addition, Managed IT Services, such as hospitality specialists Secom Technology Group, can complete Vulnerability Assessments and Penetration Testing to give you an overview of where you have areas in your systems and software that makes you vulnerable.

Why Is It Important for Businesses to Do Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing?

One of the best ways to ensure that your IT systems and applications are secure and resilient against cyber threats is by conducting regular vulnerability assessment and penetration testing on IT systems and applications. It is a security testing method that combines these two complementary approaches.

Vulnerability scanning is the process of identifying and analysing the vulnerabilities that exist in IT systems and applications. Vulnerability assessment tools scan the IT systems and applications for known vulnerabilities and provide a report on the severity, location, and description of each vulnerability.

Penetration testing, also known as a “pentest” or “ethical hacking,” is a manual technical test that goes beyond vulnerability scanning. The test identifies vulnerabilities (loopholes) on a system, network, or an application, and subsequently attempts to exploit those vulnerabilities. Penetration testers use various techniques and tools to exploit the vulnerabilities and gain unauthorised access or perform malicious actions on the system or application.

Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing provides businesses with a more comprehensive and realistic evaluation of their IT security than any single test alone.

Find out if your club is at risk today!

Secom Technology Group can complete a cybersecurity & vulnerability scan and penetration test (including an Executive Summary Report) to ensure your venue is secure.

Call Jason Drew at Secom Technology – Phone:  1300 781 224

The RGO Mandate: A Closer Look

Effective from July 1, 2024, clubs and hotels in NSW with more than 20 gaming machines must appoint at least one RGO during operational hours. These officers are not mere observers; they are guardians of responsible gambling practices. With the introduction of the RGO role, the focus will change from a player putting up their hand if they feel they are having trouble with their play levels, to the club or pub being responsible for identifying players that may be having issues and proactively assisting them.

The RGO role extends beyond compliance—it’s about fostering a safe and enjoyable gaming environment. The RGOs will need to engage with patrons, to listen, and to proactively detect signs of potential harm. It requires that the RGOs have both a higher level of training in identifying problem gambling behaviours and have the emotional intelligence to deal with players in a way that avoids embarrassment, incorrect assumptions, and judgement.

Advanced training and a useful tool to help RGOs do their jobs properly is a minimum expectation to assist gaming floor staff in clubs and hotels from July 1.

Sint’s new PlayTrax™ gambling behaviour tracking tool is designed to assist with gaming machine-based alerts so that RGOs don’t miss what can often be minimally visible signs of escalating gambling behaviour.

Precision Metrics for Informed Decision-Making

Compliance with player harm minimisation regulations is non-negotiable. PlayTrax, works independently from your gaming system, and uses multiple imbedded algorithms to determine gaming behavioural benchmarks.

It takes the guesswork out of this critical aspect by providing gaming machine alerts to identify:

• Carded / non-carded time at the machine.
• Carded accumulated time at multiple machines.
• Carded / non-carded one-off loss percentage.
• Risk based alerts – amber / red levels.
• Alerts notified through pager, app or email.

Can’t an RGO do the job without the machine alerts?

A large Sydney-based club (200+ machines) already using PlayTrax and with RGO’s on their gaming floor ahead of the regulation change, proved that the PlayTrax machine driven alerts assist the RGO’s by monitoring patterns and thresholds of gaming play that are often not visible while moving around the floor. In fact, the club had 78 accurate alerts through PlayTrax in one day last weekend, many that were missed by the RGOs.

Both the club’s management team, and the RGOs, were surprised at the number of accurate PlayTrax alerts they received based on what they thought they were observing manually.

For this club and their RGOs, PlayTrax proved that data led alerts, coupled with evidence based responses, was an effective working tool to support the RGOs in doing their job appropriately and ensuring the club meets their compliance obligations.

For clubs and pubs in NSW responsible gambling is no longer a buzzword—it’s a shared responsibility. Investigate how PlayTrax can help your RGOs.

Call Jason Drew at Sint Group – Phone:  1300 175 994

The RGO Mandate: A Closer Look

Effective from July 1, 2024, clubs and hotels in NSW with more than 20 gaming machines must appoint at least one RGO during operational hours. These officers are not mere observers; they are guardians of responsible gambling practices. With the introduction of the RGO role, the focus will change from a player putting up their hand if they feel they are having trouble with their play levels, to the club or pub being responsible for identifying players that may be having issues and proactively assisting them.

The RGO role extends beyond compliance—it’s about fostering a safe and enjoyable gaming environment. The RGOs will need to engage with patrons, to listen, and to proactively detect signs of potential harm. It requires that the RGOs have both a higher level of training in identifying problem gambling behaviours and have the emotional intelligence to deal with players in a way that avoids embarrassment, incorrect assumptions, and judgement.

Advanced training and a useful tool to help RGOs do their jobs properly is a minimum expectation to assist gaming floor staff in clubs and hotels from July 1.

Sint’s new PlayTrax™ gambling behaviour tracking tool is designed to assist with gaming machine-based alerts so that RGOs don’t miss what can often be minimally visible signs of escalating gambling behaviour.

Precision Metrics for Informed Decision-Making

Compliance with player harm minimisation regulations is non-negotiable. PlayTrax, works independently from your gaming system, and uses multiple imbedded algorithms to determine gaming behavioural benchmarks.

It takes the guesswork out of this critical aspect by providing gaming machine alerts to identify:

• Carded / non-carded time at the machine.
• Carded accumulated time at multiple machines.
• Carded / non-carded one-off loss percentage.
• Risk based alerts – amber / red levels.
• Alerts notified through pager, app or email.

Can’t an RGO do the job without the machine alerts?

A large Sydney-based club (200+ machines) already using PlayTrax and with RGO’s on their gaming floor ahead of the regulation change, proved that the PlayTrax machine driven alerts assist the RGO’s by monitoring patterns and thresholds of gaming play that are often not visible while moving around the floor. In fact, the club had 78 accurate alerts through PlayTrax in one day last weekend, many that were missed by the RGOs.

Both the club’s management team, and the RGOs, were surprised at the number of accurate PlayTrax alerts they received based on what they thought they were observing manually.

For this club and their RGOs, PlayTrax proved that data led alerts, coupled with evidence based responses, was an effective working tool to support the RGOs in doing their job appropriately and ensuring the club meets their compliance obligations.

For clubs and pubs in NSW responsible gambling is no longer a buzzword—it’s a shared responsibility. Investigate how PlayTrax can help your RGOs.

Call Jason Drew at Sint Group – Phone:  1300 175 994

Any business that runs a restaurant or two will know how important it is to deliver food fast to your customers. Many busy club and hotel restaurants already use paging systems where customers pick up a pager that buzzes when their meal is ready to pick up from the kitchen. The reason they came to your restaurant is because they didn’t feel like cooking and here we are making them work for their dinner, instead of serving them.  Table tracking systems come in handy to ensure that your staff can find your customers quickly, especially when your restaurant is busy or has a large seating area.

What is a Table Tracking System?

A table tracking system is a device that identifies where your customers are sitting, so you can deliver their food to their table. For example, you can ask your customers to place their tracker on their table, and the tracker will send their location to a display in the kitchen or the counter. Or you can use sensors or RFID tags on the tables to detect where the tracker is placed.

Table Tracking – The Benefits

Using a Table tracking System provides several benefits to both the customers (the first priority in hospitality) and the club or hotel (a financial imperative):

• Your customers can sit wherever they want: Using table tracking allows your customers to choose where they want to sit. They can sit in the restaurant, out on the deck, or in the main lounge – wherever they feel most comfortable. Your staff will be able to find them quickly anywhere.
• Faster and more accurate food delivery: You can reduce the time it takes to deliver food to your customers as your staff can easily locate them by looking at the display ensuring your customers receive their food hot and fresh.
• Improved customer satisfaction and retention: You can enhance the customer experience by allowing them to relax at their table instead of standing in line or looking for staff. You can also increase customer loyalty by providing them with better service quality and consistency.
• Increased productivity and efficiency: You can optimise the workflow of your staff by eliminating the need to search for customers or call out their names. You can also increase the turnover rate of your tables by reducing the waiting time for customers.
• Enhanced management and analytics: You can monitor the performance of your staff and your restaurant by collecting data on delivery times, order status, and customer feedback. You can also identify areas for improvement by analysing trends and patterns.

Things to Consider when implementing a Table Tracking System

Sint are hospitality industry specialists who have provided paging (Notify.Me) and table tracking (Locate.Me) systems across clubs, pubs and restaurants in Australia for many years. Their expertise can ensure you have a table tracking system that covers the main points to consider when purchasing a system that is right for your restaurant:

• Wi-Fi Signal Strength: By far the biggest consideration for any Table Tracking System is ensuring reliable coverage and Wi-Fi signal strength, so it is important to find a company with a background in IT and technical products.
• Consider your budget: Sint’s Locate.Me Table Tracking System is scalable to fit within the budget of restaurants of any size.
• Reliability of Service: Sint’s Locate.Me table tracking system uses quality trackers that are durable, reliable, water-proof and serviced by their local factory.

The Locate.Me F&B tracking system takes the guesswork out of hospitality service and tracks your customer, not their table, so they are free to sit anywhere they are comfortable once they order food or beverage. Locate.Me will increase your staff efficiency, and make your guests feel that they are being attended to by a service that is fast, efficient and cares about them, contributing to a more positive member experience at your club and boosting the chance of return visits.

It’s so simple!

Order                    Hand your guest a smart table flag when they order.

Relax                     Guests can wander your venue finding their preferred location.

Locate                   Staff view the location of the guest on any web browser.

Deliver                 Food and drinks are delivered fast and fresh!

To find out more about how Locate.Me can work for your venue contact:

SINT:  Australia-wide 1300 175 994