Primm offered a cheap, closer option than Vegas for Southern Californians. Then came the tribal casinos

Once upon a time, Primm, Nev., had 3 bustling casino resorts, shiny state stations, a roller coaster and Bonnie and Clyde’s “death car.”

It was a spot surreal, said erstwhile visitant John Honell of West Covina: “You had this full analyzable successful the mediate of the desert.”

Southern Californians traveling the arid stretches of the I-15 would spot Primm popular up. As helium drove to Sin City for bowling tournaments, Honell would halt and “drop a fewer coins” into the slot machines. It was a gambling oasis — a small little flashy and a small much affordable than Vegas and 45 minutes closer.

“I conjecture it worked for a while,” said Honell, 85.

But it works nary longer. The past of the 3 casino resorts volition adjacent connected July 4, proprietor Affinity Gaming confirmed to The Times this week.

Honell, a regular successful the 1970s, saw the maturation of a godforsaken gamble: the enlargement of the Primm property, successful the dusty municipality erstwhile known arsenic State Line, from Whiskey Pete’s state station, barroom and slot machines into 3 engaged resorts.

The Nevada gambling hub southbound of Las Vegas on the 15 Freeway appears finished, though. Southern Californians who appreciated that it was a shorter thrust present tin find gambling overmuch closer, astatine tribal casinos.

Las Vegas insider work Las Vegas Locally posted a termination missive from Affinity Gaming’s affiliate, Primadonna Co. LLC, to employees who worked astatine Primm Valley.

The casino is closing down July 4, with each employment ending that time too.

Affinity Gaming declined to marque an authoritative comment.

The castle-shaped Whiskey Pete’s opened successful 1977, followed by Primm Valley successful 1990 and Buffalo Bill’s successful 1994. Whiskey Pete’s was the archetypal casino to close, successful December 2024. Buffalo Bill’s Resort ended 24-7 operations connected July 6, lone opening erstwhile the casino’s performance venue, the Star of the Desert Arena, hosted peculiar events.

David G. Schwartz, a gaming historiographer and prof astatine the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Primm’s casinos were “built for an wholly antithetic world.”

“Southern California is simply a immense marketplace for Las Vegas and, successful particular, it was erstwhile precise charismatic for those successful the Inland Empire,” Schwartz said. “It was a mode to trim 45 minutes disconnected the thrust — it was a 2-hour drive. It’s antithetic math.”

Lights inactive glow connected the Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino motion connected Sunday, July 6, 2025 successful Primm, NV. (Bridget Bennett / For The Times)

(Bridget Bennett/For The Times)

Primm was erstwhile 1 of Nevada’s much fashionable gambling resorts, a little expensive, somewhat much kitschy alternate to Las Vegas that benefited from being person than Sin City.

Primm Valley, Whiskey Pete’s and Buffalo Bill’s each hosted astatine 1 clip the famed Bonnie and Clyde V-8 Ford riddled with much than 100 bullets successful 1934.

Whiskey Pete’s offered a speedy and affordable 24-hour IHOP, successful examination to Vegas’ pricier buffets, and Californians and Nevadans visited Primm Valley’s 100-store outlet mall, supported by shoppers who were brought by autobus to the promenade for free.

The 3 resorts enjoyed enlargement and maturation passim the 2010s by utilizing debased prices, gimmicks and attractions to lure guests.

Buffalo Bill’s was the biggest of the trio, boasting a buffalo-shaped excavation and 592 rooms astatine its opening (the Bellagio has astir 4,000 rooms) and yet expanding to 1,242 rooms.

Buffalo Bill’s and its sister resorts closed successful March 2020 erstwhile the pandemic hit, reopening betwixt December 2022 and 2023. But they struggled to pull customers.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic wounded each Nevada casinos, that was lone portion of the crushed for Primm’s decline. Schwartz said tribal casinos successful Southern California saw their prospects soar arsenic Primm’s hotels teeter-tottered.

California voters passed Proposition 1-A successful 2000, which allowed tribal casinos to run slot machines and erased limits connected paper games.

“Many of those radical Primm was drafting from began to enactment successful Southern California, wherever the drives are conscionable overmuch shorter and the amenities overmuch closer,” Schwartz said. “You spot the aforesaid contented playing retired astatine Laughlin on the Arizona borderline and Reno and Tahoe successful Northern California.”

Shortly aft Proposition 1-A’s passage, San Manuel was 1 of respective tribal casinos successful San Bernardino and Riverside counties that declared an arms contention with Nevada.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino successful Indio, tally by the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, opened successful December 2004. The people was the 4th betwixt 2002 and 2004 to unfastened oregon grow its operations, including Agua Caliente successful Palm Springs, Morongo successful Cabazon and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians successful Temecula.

Most of these casinos person continued to physique and grow their operations arsenic gross has continued to flow.

The Southern California tribal resorts are classified by the National Indian Gaming Commission, a gaming regulatory body, to beryllium successful the Sacramento region, which includes each resorts successful California and Northern Nevada.

In 2014, the combined casinos contributed $7.9 cardinal successful gross gaming revenue.

Ten years later, 87 tribal operations passim 2 states combined for $12.1 billion, marking a humble 1.4% summation from 2023.

Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, tally by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, sits successful Highland, astir 200 miles from Primm but little than fractional that region from downtown L.A.

Yaamava’ completed a $760-million enlargement successful 2021, which added a 17-floor tower, 3 bars and astir 1,700 caller slots.

The 7,400 slot machines astatine Yaamava’ marque the casino the West Coast’s largest, with 4,000 much slots than its Vegas peers. By quadrate footage of gaming space, Yaamava is No. 4 successful the federation and inactive the biggest connected the West Coast.

“The diminution has been portion of a larger trend,” Schwartz said of Primm. “People are choosing options that astir entreaty to them.”