The COVID-19 pandemic changed Las Vegas forever. It caused four locals casinos to close and six to permanently remove live table games. More casino closures followed, while only four new casinos have opened since 2020. This left the most net loss in Las Vegas casinos since the Great Recession, when many properties were imploded to make room for new ones that never materialized, or closed due to becoming obsolete.
Four locals casinos closed due to the pandemic
Many casinos did not immediately open when permitted on June 4, 2020. Most were on the Strip. However, several were in the locals market. Eastside Cannery, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, and Texas Station never reopened.
Three locals casinos have closed since 2022
Poker Palace, Silver Nugget, and Wild Wild West reopened after the pandemic closure. However, Wild Wild West closed in 2022. That closure was announced by Station Casinos.
Silver Nugget shuttered in 2023. The closure was deemed temporary due to utility issues. It never reopened. Fifth Street Gaming, its parent company, never made an official announcement about its future. It is presumed to be permanently closed.
Poker Palace closed in September 2025. Unlike Silver Nugget and Wild Wild West, Poker Palace is expected to reopen. The 51-year-old property was sold. The new company expects to reopen it after a major remodeling in 2026.
Two Las Vegas Strip casinos closed in 2024
Mirage and Tropicana closed in 2024. Mirage is expected to reopen as Hard Rock in 2027. However, Tropicana has no realistic future plans. The 36-acre site has plans for a Major League Baseball stadium and a new Bally’s resort. Neither group has demonstrated the funding capabilities to build on the former Tropicana property. Neither has submitted a financing plan.
This leaves five fewer open casinos in the Las Vegas market since 2020. The only modern comparable timeframe is around 2010.
Great Recession era
Las Vegas was booming in 2006. Older properties were getting acquired to make room for more megaresorts. In 2006, Lady Luck, Boardwalk, Klondike, and Stardust closed, according to Easy Vegas. Boardwalk was replaced by Aria in 2009. The other three properties remained idle until at least the next decade. New Frontier closed in 2007, and Nevada Palace closed in 2008.
Two casinos opened during that time, both in 2008. These were Aliante Station (now called Aliante) and Eastside Cannery. While Encore and Palazzo also opened that year, these were additions to existing casinos, not new licenses. Aria opened on the Boardwalk property in 2009. Cosmopolitan launched in 2010. This all makes four or six new casinos in the same five-year span, depending on how you define the Encore and Palazzo openings. That is either a wash or a loss of two casinos.
In 2011, Sahara closed. Western and O’Sheas closed in 2012. Gold Spike closed in 2013, while nearby Downtown Grand opened that same year. Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall shuttered for a remodel and became Cromwell the following year. SLS Las Vegas opened on the old Sahara property. Clarion, near the Las Vegas Convention Center, closed. Las Vegas Club and Riviera ceased operations in 2015. This left a total of five losses in five years. That is the same situation the Las Vegas market is in now.
Clark County casino closures go beyond Las Vegas
Four other Clark County casinos have closed since 2020. Terrible’s in Jean, once known as Goldstrike, temporarily ceased operations in March 2020, as all Nevada casinos were ordered to do by the governor. It had planned to eventually reopen. Unfortunately, during the closure, a severe thunderstorm caused substantial damage to the casino. Jett Gaming, its owner, decided to close the property and sell it to a warehouse company.
Colorado Belle in Laughlin never reopened after the pandemic closure. The property is dilapidated. Golden Entertainment, its owner, operates two other Laughlin casinos and could not justify refurbishing it.
Primm reopened two of its three casinos when permitted in June 2020. Whiskey Pete’s and Primm Valley Resort opened, while Buffalo Bill’s remained closed until 2022, when it relaunched full-time. Primm was hard hit by the post-COVID change in tourism. Affinity Gaming, the operator of all Primm casinos, folded Whiskey Pete’s in December 2024. In July 2025, it ceased most of Buffalo Bill’s operations. It only reopens for concert weekends and a handful of special events. It is closed over 90% of the time these days.
What caused the casino closures?
Some casino closures, like Mirage and Poker Palace, were directly related to major renovation projects to improve aging facilities. Others, like Tropicana, Eastside Cannery, and the Fiestas, were related to small or unprofitable operations. A decline in tourism and locals spending caused other closures, causing old properties to become unprofitable. Online gambling and land-based casinos have exploded across the country, leaving less entertainment money available for a Las Vegas vacation. The lack of new properties to see and high prices have caused Las Vegas fatigue. This all lowered demand for the entire market.
