Michigan Kewadin Casinos Still Down After Cyberattack

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan still don’t have their operations up and running following a cyberattack on its Kewadin Casinos back on Feb. 9. 

When this event occurred, Austin Lowes, the Tribal Chair, was hopeful it would only last a week, but it lasted even longer. 

He updated his statement on Monday and said it’s still “ongoing.” Lowes said they can still operate, but at a limited capacity. 

There are five locations in Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Manistique, Christmas, and Hessel. They’re all impacted. 

Other Things Impacted

In addition to its casino operations, Kewadin Casinos is unable to access its computers and central phone lines, and tribal health care has been impacted. 

Kewdin Casinos have gotten new phone numbers for many of their services. 

“We understand and share in our community’s frustration with this attack and the interruptions it has caused. I want to assure everyone that the tribe is working with cybersecurity experts and burning the candles at both ends to resolve this issue as quickly as possible,” Lowes said.

“We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we work through this difficult issue,” he added. “As it does with any challenge our people have faced, I am confident that our tribe will emerge stronger.”

Tribal Casinos Often Targeted 

Since 2022, there has been a rise in ransomware attacks, especially toward small and tribal casino venues. 

They’ve become targets because the attackers likely believe they have less sophisticated systems and are unable to defend themselves. 

That said, in Sept. 2023, the group “Scattered Spider” went after MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. 

MGM didn’t pay the ransom requested. Their systems went down for days and had about $100 million in damages. 

As for Caesars, they paid $15 million to have systems restored, per the Wall Street Journal.