The last casino hotel in Primm, Nevada — a roadside gambling stop that once drew millions of California travelers heading to Las Vegas — will permanently close on Independence Day, leaving 344 workers jobless and raising the prospect that the small border community could become what one historian called America’s first gambling ghost town.
Affinity Gaming, the parent company of Primm Valley Casino Resorts, notified employees earlier this month that Primm Valley Resort & Casino would shut down July 4, completing a shutdown of all three casinos in the complex. The closure will eliminate 624 hotel rooms and suites, 46,000 square feet of entertainment space and more than 300 slot machines. Employees living in company housing must vacate by July 6; Affinity said it would stop charging rent on Friday and would help coordinate government assistance.
“In Nevada, we have a lot of old mining towns where, when the boom ended, everybody cleared out,” Michael Green, associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Fox News Digital. “Primm, I think, could end up being the first gambling ghost town.”
Located along Interstate 15 on the California-Nevada border, about 38 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip, Primm thrived for decades as travelers crossed the state line eager to gamble, eat at buffets and ride a roller coaster. The complex also housed an exhibit featuring the car in which Bonnie and Clyde were killed. But the decline set in gradually over the past 15 to 20 years, accelerated by two forces that gutted the town’s core business model.
“The success of Native American casinos in Southern California led to a decline in visitation to the Primm casinos,” said Amanda Belarmino, associate professor of hospitality at UNLV. “A lot of people used to stop there just because they were so excited to gamble once they got over the border. But since casinos are more readily accessible, Primm lost some of that appeal.”
The collapse also had a corporate dimension. Affinity — which purchased the three casinos from MGM Resorts for $400 million in 2007 — had already begun pulling back before the final announcement. Whiskey Pete’s Hotel & Casino shuttered in December 2024, and Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino scaled back to special events only in July 2025, leaving Primm Valley Resort as the sole full-time operation. In a 2024 letter to Clark County commissioners, Affinity’s general counsel acknowledged that traffic at the state line was too concentrated on weekends to support three full-time properties.
COVID-19 delivered a blow from which the casinos never recovered, Mr. Green said. In addition to the three resorts, the Primm Center gas station and Flying J truck stop will also close, though members of the Primm family — who own the underlying real estate — are working to keep fuel stops along the heavily traveled corridor open.
Cory Clemetson, grandson of Primm founder Ernie Primm and president of the family’s land company, said the family was not given much notice of the decision. “We hoped that these operators could have done more to make these properties successful,” he said in a statement, adding that the family is working to limit harm to workers and residents facing displacement.
Gaming historians say Primm’s fate reflects a broader industry realignment rather than the end of casino culture. David G. Schwartz, a UNLV professor and gaming historian, said in-person gambling will endure much as luxury retail has survived e-commerce — customers will still want to sit at a baccarat table for high-stakes play. What is shifting, he said, is the mix. Las Vegas has increasingly leaned into non-gaming attractions, with venues such as T-Mobile Arena, Allegiant Stadium and the Sphere defining the city’s recent growth.
“Non-gaming has really been the big news,” Mr. Schwartz said.
For Primm, there is no such pivot available. When the lights go out on July 4, a town built entirely around the thrill of crossing the state line will have nothing left to offer.
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