Affinity Gaming Explores Options to Save Primm Casino Complex
Affinity Gaming told Nevada regulators it is still searching for a way to avoid shutting its Primm casino complex on the California border, but executives acknowledged the property remains structurally unprofitable.
- Affinity Gaming seeks alternatives to closing its Primm casino complex on the California border
- The property remains structurally unprofitable despite recent efforts to revive traffic
- Closure could impact local jobs and regional gateway from Southern California to Nevada
According to the Las-Vegas Review Journal, CEO Scott Butera said the company has formed a special committee to explore options for the landowner and the operator. This could include a sale, restructuring or other transaction, after announcing plans to close the site by July 4.
The move could eliminate more than 300 jobs.
Search for a Successor
Butera said the team has spent weeks sharing information with the Primm family and trying to support a transfer of the business.
“We invested a lot of money in that asset over the years, to no avail,” he told the Gaming Control Board, adding that earlier attempts to revive traffic, including a new sign and fresh slot machines, did not fix the economics.
The company also briefly explored keeping the hotels and casinos open only for concerts and events at the Star of the Desert arena, but that option appears to have faded.
Wider Impact on the Border Corridor
Regulators said they are concerned because Primm has long served as a gateway from Southern California into Southern Nevada.
The closures would affect Whiskey Pete’s, Buffalo Bill’s and Primm Valley Resort, along with the Primm Center gas station and Flying J truck stop.
The Primm family has publicly appealed for help for workers, and Clark County Social Services is stepping in with support. While some had hoped a planned Ivanpah Valley airport could eventually revive the area, that project is unlikely to start for at least a decade.
