The former gambling hotspot of Primm, Nevada, will soon be a casino ghost town. The remaining casino resorts in the city announced they will close in July.
Primm Valley Resorts, Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino, Primm Center, and Flying J are all scheduled to close on July 4. Whiskey Pete’s Hotel & Casino already closed in December. All the properties are owned by the Primadonna Company, an arm of Affinity Gaming.
Additionally, the Lotto Store, located just over the border in California, will also be shuttered. That property had been popular with Nevada residents looking to purchase Powerball tickets, as Nevada does not have a lottery.
“As a member of the Primm family that takes great pride in our decades of serving Nevada residents and visitors, we’re saddened to hear about this announcement from Affinity Gaming and its principal owner Z Capital, the New York-based private equity firm that has been leasing and operating these properties for nearly 15 years on the land owned by our family,” said Cory Clemetson, grandson of Primm founder Ernie Primm and president of the Primm entities that own real estate in the area.
“We hoped that these operators could have done more to make these properties successful and to continue operating the hotel-casino and related properties that they now intend to close.”
Hundreds Of Employees Will Lose Jobs
The closing of the properties will leave 344 employees without jobs. Employees living in a company-owned apartment complex have received eviction notices. They must vacate the property by July 6.
Primm is located about 40 miles south of Las Vegas, on the border with California. The city has long been a popular spot for Californians seeking a quick gambling getaway. Ernest Primm originally built the city in the 1950s and dubbed it State Line. The city initially offered travelers a small motel and coffee shop.
His son, Gary Primm, later expanded into casinos, and the town was renamed Primm in 1996. The city has seen the casino industry struggle in recent years as California’s casino industry has grown.
Affinity Senior Vice President Erin Barnett alluded to that last year in a letter to Clark County officials. However, he said the city’s economic factors could change once a few projects took shape.
“In recent years, and particularly post-pandemic, the traffic at the state line has proved to be heavily weighted toward weekend activity and insufficient to support three full-time casino properties,” Barnett said. “The positive news is that expected development of an airport and ancillary businesses has created the prospect of a resurgence for the area in the coming years.
“However, in the interim, it is not feasible to keep all three casino properties staffed, supported and open to the public on a full-time basis.”
Clemetson said the Primm family was working to find a solution to prevent some of the properties from closing. In related news, the Poker Palace in North Las Vegas is expected to reopen soon as Club Fortune after the property closed last year.
