Swinomish Casino & Lodge now open after ‘cybersecurity’ incident

The Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Anacortes has reopened. It was closed for weeks because of a “cybersecurity” incident.

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A check of the hotel’s website explained the organization is “working with law enforcement and leading cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident and determine the scope of the issue.”

Swinomish said that if it learns “data was impacted by this incident, we will contact affected individuals as soon as possible.”

The hotel said that as the investigation continues, it recommends that individuals check their account statements and monitor their credit reports for any suspicious activity.

On Wednesday, the casino posted the following on its website:

We are investigating a cybersecurity incident that has affected our operations.

The casino and restaurants on our property are all temporarily closed. We will resume our loyalty and rewards program when the casino reopens.

While the lodge and RV park are open, we are only able to honor existing reservations at this time.

Lodge guests impacted by this incident will also receive a refund as appropriate.

We do not yet have an estimate on when our facilities will reopen. We are working as quickly as possible to restore operations and will provide updates on this website and on our Facebook page as our systems come back online.”

The casino did not give a heads-up to people with reservations at the lodge. It has been closed since Friday.

Located on the Washington coast, the casino opened in 1994 and is owned and operated by the tribal community.

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A worker, who preferred to remain anonymous, told KIRO 7 that they were focused on fixing the casino’s internet connectivity.

“The gaming floor is closed. Food and beverage outlets are closed,” the worker said. “They haven’t given us any kind of update via email like they usually do.”

Greg Sullivan, a former casino employee, expressed his concern for the workers.

“The casino industry does not close on a Friday or a Saturday night, especially on the first Friday or Saturday of the month,” he told KIRO 7. “The only time I remember the casino ever emptying was when someone mistakenly pulled the fire alarm.”

Sullivan’s worry extends to the staff who rely on tips to cover their monthly bills.

“This impact is substantial on the workers, particularly the ones that are not salaried employees,” he stated. “The public absolutely deserves the truth. You have a large community there that is impacted by them not being open.”

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The last time the casino was closed this long was in March 2020 due to COVID-19 safety measures. There’s no word on when the lodge will reopen.

MyNorthwest has reached out to the casino via phone and email, but has not heard back as of this reporting.

Contributing: KIRO 7

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.