Cyberattack probe shuts down casino

The Swinomish Casino & Lodge has had a run of bad luck lately.

Having braced for a busy April and heavy traffic volumes from the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the gaming center and dining venue 8 miles north of La Conner has been closed since April 6 while an unspecified cybersecurity incident is investigated.

Cyberattacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing or destroying sensitive information. They can also involve extortion via ransomware or interruptions in normal business procedures.

Internet service at the Swinomish property is believed to have been impacted, according to a report filed by KIRO-TV News of Seattle.

“We are working with law enforcement and leading cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident and determine the scope of the issue,” Swinomish Casino & Lodge management said in a statement issued last week.

As of Sunday, the casino parking lot remained empty and no definitive timeline had been released as to when the Swinomish facilities will reopen.

“The casino and restaurants on our property are all temporarily closed,” the management team said. “We are working as quickly as possible to restore operations” and will provide updates on social media as systems come back online.

“While the lodge and RV park are open,” management said, “we are only able to honor existing reservations at this time. Lodge guests impacted by this incident will also receive a refund as appropriate.”

Those who have recently visited the casino-hotel have been advised “out of an abundance of caution” to check their account statements and monitor credit reports for any suspicious activity.

“If we learn data was impacted by this incident,” casino managers said in their statement, “we will contact affected individuals as soon as possible.”

The closure has impacted casino guests and staff alike.

A KIRO news crew on site last week met with employees who were told not to come into work due to what was initially attributed to “technical issues.”

“They’re sure losing a lot of business,” a social media poster said last week in response to a casino closure update provided by the Swinomish Tribal Senate. “I hope they get it figured out quickly.”

The Weekly News was contacted on Friday by the casino’s marketing and advertising representative. She paused weekly advertising until the situation is resolved.

“We are expecting them to be closed for a bit longer,” said marketing consultant and media planner Adele George.

However, a TV commercial promoting Swinomish Casino & Lodge appeared over the weekend on a Root Sports Northwest broadcast of a Seattle Mariners baseball game with the Chicago Cubs.

The Swinomish casino gaming floor has around 700 slot machines and a variety of table games, according to reporter Ed Silverstein of the Casino.org website.

A Zippia, Inc. data science team determined that the Swinomish Casino & Lodge, with nearly 200 employees, generated about $16 million in revenue in 2023.

The casino made national news last October when one of its guests placed a $10 bet and won a $1,490,484.45 jackpot.