Primm, Nevada, Set to Become a Ghost Town as Its Final Casino Shuts Down

The small town of Primm, Nevada, is set to shutter its casinos on the Fourth of July, which will likely turn the once-popular highway stop into a ghost town.

The Primadonna Company is closing its casinos, Primm Valley, Buffalo Bill’s, and Whiskey Pete’s. Primadonna employees received a notice informing them of the decision.

Primm is a secluded town about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas, sitting right on the California border along I-15. Its location made it a popular stop for drivers heading back and forth between Vegas and Southern California.

The town is made up of almost entirely casino-related facilities, shopping, and dining. The sparse residential areas are primarily for the 600-800-person population of mostly casino workers.

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Glory Days Long Gone

Vintage Las Vegas shared a picturesque photo from 1995 that shows the view of Primm and the state line as a nostalgic nod to the stop. It was once a booming casino town that many people shared fond memories of from its glory days decades ago.

As a kid, I remember passing through Primm on the way east. It was always hopping, and when it was truly a first/last chance town for casino gambling, it was a draw. The $2 single deck blackjack games thirty years ago were very playable, and shuffling those silver dollar coins.

It was a popular spot for SoCal folks to place bets on football games on the weekends, as they would drive up to the state line. Some would stop in and place bets on the way to Vegas. Others would get their action down before turning around and driving home.

There was also a famous Buffalo Bill’s roller coaster called “Desperado,” which was one of the tallest roller coasters in the world when it opened in 1994. At the time of its closure in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, it was the seventh-tallest coaster in the world. It has not reopened since the pandemic, although it still receives maintenance checks.

Rising Prices and California Competition Led to Closure

The decision to shutter the Primm casinos came as a surprise to many. The declining town survived the COVID pandemic, which looked like a death knell in 2020.

Even though crowds have been sparse in recent years, especially compared to the previous boom times, business was still going as if things were building for the future. Buffalo Bill’s casino has hundreds of new machines. The steakhouse reopened a month ago, and recurring shows were brought back to the convention room.

Speculation as to why now was ripe. Many pointed to rising gas prices nationwide. Primm is a good 90 minutes from Barstow, the nearest decent-sized California city on I-15. And with Nevada and California having some of the highest gas prices in the country, the appeal of a road stop declines significantly. Aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions were also cited as a possible reason for the decline in tourism to Primm.

California tribal properties have also continued to reduce the demand for border casino action. Several new tribal casinos have opened around the Golden State in recent years, including the large Hard Rock Tejon on the outskirts of the L.A. area. California residents now have less impetus to make the drive to Vegas for gambling, let alone stop in Primm.

Vegas outlet malls are also likely a factor in eliminating the need for people to shop at the mall in Primm. It is also only a 30-minute drive from Primm to South Point Casino on the outskirts of southern Vegas. There, customers can find every amenity Primm has, but at a more modern, accessible level, which again makes the Primm properties redundant.

Will Primm Become a Ghost Town?

Primm is a single-purpose town with casinos and a convenience highway stop for people passing through. There is no organic community beyond those working at the casinos or the mall. No businesses or enterprises exist beyond that.

That led many people to question what would become of Primm once the casinos shut down for good. The only thing that makes sense to go into place around Primm is large truck stop centers, such as the popular Texas-based chain Buc-ee’s. Beyond that, it is likely to simply become a ghost town, as the casino facilities would not have much potential for repurposing.

The only thing that could revitalize Primm in the future is the proposed Southern Nevada Supplement Airport, between the towns of Jean and Primm. It is a project still in development, but it would serve as a second airport for the Las Vegas area. Primm could be turned into a useful hub for the development of that airport and see a new future, completely divergent from its old-school road-trip gambling past.

Image credit: Famartin/Wikimedia Commons (license)_

Jeffrey McMillan

Poker Writer

Jeffrey is an Expert Sports and Poker Writer with poker being his specific scope for the better part of five years. He has worked in various capacities at the biggest poker events in the world, WSOP, EPT, local tournaments and more. He has worked with PokerNews, Poker.Org, 888poker and the WSOP itself through the years. Jeff is also a fervent follower of many sports, professional, collegiate and international, with a particular interest in tennis. He received a Master's in Sports Management from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and a Bachelors in the same field from Clemson University.