Kewadin Casinos Shuttered Due to Ransomware Cyber Attack

The five Kewadin Casinos in  Michigan have all been hit by a cyberattack that has yet to be solved. Since Sunday, when the attack was discovered, all properties have been shut down. 

Austin Lowes, the Tribal Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe says the attack appears to have been caused by ransomware, and they’ve hired a consultant to investigate the cause. 

This comes after a Michigan poker player was involved in a bizarre murder case earlier this year. 

Unsure When They’ll Reopen

"This attack impacted multiple computer and phone systems across tribal administration, including the casinos, health centers, and various businesses. The tribal government will remain open in a limited capacity to serve our members to the best of our ability despite this incident," Lowes said. 

Lowes also said he’s unsure when it’ll be resolved, but it'll hopefully be “within a week,” but it could “last longer.” 

The locations that have closed include those in Sault Ste. Marie, Manistique, Christmas, Hessel, and St. Ignace.

It also impacted health centers and other businesses.

Unclear if Ransom Demanded

There’s no information regarding whether Kewadin was asked for ransom to free up their systems. 

This comes after a 2023 incident when Scattered Spider hacked 

Kewadin Casinos released a statement on Facebook regarding the attack. 

“We immediately enlisted the help of third-party experts to determine how this incident was caused and to restore our gaming operations as quickly as possible,” Kewadin said.

“We understand this is inconvenient and unexpected news. Please know our experts are working around-the-clock to restore gaming operations. We apologize for this inconvenience. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”

Also, on Facebook, a guest inquired about what she should do regarding her upcoming stay. 

“Where are the updates? I Reserved a room 3 nights this week and have not been able to cancel how can we contact someone about reservations?” the guest, Kelli Lindsay, said.