By Brian Rowell

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians announced today it will reopen Kewadin Casinos on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Kewadin Casinos, which was the victim of a cyber incident earlier this month, has restored its systems and will reopen operations in the following stages:

Kewadin Casino Sault Ste Marie: Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 12 p.m.

Kewadin Casino St. Ignace: Friday, Feb. 28, at 12 p.m.

Kewadin Casinos Manistique, Christmas and Hessel: Monday, March 3, at 12 p.m.

“All casino hotels, restaurants, and entertainment will resume their normal business hours when the casino reopens. It’s safe to use credit cards at the casino. The Tesla concert scheduled at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste Marie on Friday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. will take place as scheduled,” tribal officials stated in a press release.

“Some tribal organizations were impacted more severely than others and are still recovering, but we’re fortunate to be able to reopen Kewadin’s doors and continue serving as a prime entertainment destination for the eastern U.P.,” said Sault Tribe Chairman Austin Lowes. “To our guests who were unable to visit us during this time, I am very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Our team worked with outside cybersecurity experts around the clock to make the necessary steps to strengthen and enhance our IT systems, and we are open and ready for business.”

Kewadin Casinos were forced to temporarily close due to a ransomware attack that began on Feb. 9 and impacted tribal businesses, government and health services.

The tribe first became aware of the attack on Sunday, Feb. 9, and acted immediately to shut down its systems to prevent any further harm.

It then engaged law enforcement, legal and cyber security experts to investigate the incident and has worked to enhance its IT systems to prevent future attacks.