Industries conducting large volumes of transactions are emerging as targets for a cottage industry of digital extortionists using distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks typically are preceded by a request for payment from parties who claim the ability to “prevent” an imminent attack. If no payment is made, a DDoS attack follows.

Online betting sites have been repeatedly targeted by DDoS extortionists, including a series of attacks at the outset of the Euro 2004 event and Wimbledon tennis tourney.