The family behind Primm Valley Resorts says it is working to breathe new life into the struggling Nevada gambling destination after a wave of closure announcements fueled concerns that the area could turn into a ghost town.
For years, Primm has served as a budget-friendly alternative to Las Vegas, attracting visitors with cheaper hotel stays and lower-stakes gambling just across the Nevada border.
However, Primm’s final casino hotel, Primm Valley Resort & Casino, is set to shut down on July 4. According to Fox 5 Las Vegas, the closure would leave 344 employees without jobs.
Cory Clemetson, president of Primm’s landowner group and grandson of town founder Ernie Primm, sharply criticized the decision.
“If the Primm properties go dark, so does the welcome they have provided over the decades,” Clemetson said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
“It is contrary to our values to let that happen without exploring all options,” he said.
Clemetson added that he and his family are working “tirelessly” to find ways to revive the Primm properties.
“[We are] fully understanding their iconic place in our geography, and in our hearts,” he said.
“Be assured that we’re working toward a revitalized Primm and a return to better days,” Clemetson said.
He also expressed disappointment over the loss of jobs for “hard-working employees” and said the operators “could have done more to make these properties successful.”
“The news is especially distressing to the hundreds of hard-working employees and residents who live and work in Primm,” the statement read.
“They are now faced with the prospect of losing their jobs and, in many cases, being displaced from their homes.”
The closures were announced by casino operator Affinity Interactive and its principal owner, Z Capital, which has leased and operated the Primm properties for nearly 15 years.
Fox News Digital reached out to Affinity Interactive for comment.
“It is contrary to our values to let that happen without exploring all options.”
The first two casino hotels to close — Whiskey Pete’s and Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino — shut down in December 2024 and scaled back to special-event operations in July 2025, respectively.
Michael Green, an associate professor of history at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, previously told Fox News Digital that gambling tourism declined sharply during COVID and never fully rebounded.
“In Nevada, we have a lot of old mining towns where, when the boom ended, or they had used up whatever precious metal they were looking for, everybody cleared out,” he said.
“Primm, I think, could end up being the first gambling ghost town.”
Primm has experienced “a slow decline” over the past 15 to 20 years, according to Amanda Belarmino, an associate professor of hospitality at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Belarmino previously told Fox News Digital that the decline was driven by development in both California and Las Vegas. She added, “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.”
Leave a Comment