Whiskey Pete’s, one of three Primm casinos, closed on December 17, 2024. Affinity Gaming, Whiskey Pete’s parent company, said the closure is temporary. Vegas Advantage visited Primm on December 19, 2024.
We first heard closure rumors in October 2024. However, we could not confirm it until last week.
Whiskey Pete’s was one step above closed since reopening after the COVID-19 shutdown. The hotel stopped taking reservations in March 2020 and was only used for overflow on a few busy weekends since. Table game action never returned, though the pit stayed on the floor for about a year after the June 4, 2020 reopening.
The only video poker available was at the bar. The paytables were the same or worse as what is found at a Las Vegas Strip bar.
Stadium table games were added for about a year after the COVID-19 reopening. That machine disappeared around 2021, leaving no electronic table games. This left only slots on the casino floor. We counted about 125 machines during our last visit. Vegas Advantage has not seen more than a handful of players during our recent Whiskey Pete’s visits.
At the end, IHOP was the only open restaurant inside Whiskey Pete’s. Two fast food options are available at the open travel plaza next door. That truck stop has a small slot room with about 20 machines.
The tram connecting Primm Valley Resort and Whiskey Pete’s stopped operating in the mid-2010s. The cars have been parked outside Primm Valley Resort ever since.
Vegas Advantage has visited Whiskey Pete’s dozens of times over the years. Here are some pictures we took. Most are from this decade. A few are from the late 2010s.
Primm Valley Resort
After checking out Whiskey Pete’s, Vegas Advantage headed across the highway to Primm Valley Resort. It has about 150 slot machines. There are no live or electronic table games at Primm Valley Resort. These moved to Buffalo Bill’s when it reopened in December 2022. Primm Valley Resort had a few players this Thursday afternoon.
A source told Vegas Advantage that there are plans to reopen Primm Valley’s hotel with some of Whiskey Pete’s room furnishings. It closed in December 2022 when Buffalo Bill’s reopened. Some Primm employees stay in the hotel. Primm Valley Resort has no open restaurants.
A tram once ran between Primm Valley Resort and Buffalo Bill’s. Like the other tram, it stopped running in the mid-2010s.
The bar and sportsbook were behind curtains. Of course, Vegas Advantage peeked behind it.
Here are pictures of the closed front desk, monorail entrance, bar, and sportsbook:
The mall entrance is still open. A thrift store is the only tenant. Vegas Advantage created this video of the mall in October.
Buffalo Bill’s
Buffalo Bill’s was the last Primm stop. It had dozens of players. The atmosphere felt like any other casino in its tier.
Buffalo Bill’s is close to full operations. The missing pieces from its busier days are the amusement rides, which stopped running a year or two before the pandemic closure, and the movie theater. Vegas Advantage found seven dining options available, though several are closed during the week, including the steakhouse and buffet.
The Bonnie & Clyde car moved to Buffalo Bill’s in December 2022. It is in the former amusement ride area near the food court.
The Star of the Desert Arena offers two or three concerts per month. The William Hill sportsbook is open daily. The bar has new video poker machines with more games and improved paytables.
Buffalo Bill’s replaced its live table games with hybrid ones like Roll to Win Craps, Dual Wheel Roulette, and Easy Blackjack. All have a $5 minimum bet.
Players shoot real dice in Roll to Win Craps. Two real wheels are used at roulette. Blackjack has cards dealt out of a continuous shuffling machine and pays 6/5. All have live dealers but no chips. Bets are made on touchscreens.
We played craps for about an hour and won a little. No players joined the table. The roulette and blackjack games were mostly empty. Silver Sevens, owned by the same company as the Primm casinos, also replaced all its live tables with hybrid ones.
While Roll to Win Craps has caught on with players as a good alternative to a live dice game, the hybrid blackjack and roulette versions do not seem to attract much action at casinos that offer these machines.
What about the amusement rides?
There is nothing new to report about the amusement rides. All were closed. Desperado, the roller coaster, has almost certainly had its last rider. A source stated some new concepts for the track are under consideration.
The log flume has been getting tested with water, but it was dry this visit. Entrances to both these rides were blocked. The Frog Hopper sits idle where it once operated.
Vegas Advantage wants Primm to succeed
We always had fun in Primm and feel it has potential. The concerts still draw thousands and the interstate brings about 45,000 cars per day past it. Last year, Vegas Advantage published an article on how to improve Primm. Some positive changes have been made, and it sounds like Primm Valley Resort is about to get a needed investment.
Primm probably does not need three casinos anymore. Dropping to two open properties helps narrow the focus, which will likely improve guest experiences. Vegas Advantage hopes Primm can turn itself around and become a destination again.
