The Primm family said it is working toward a “return to better days” after the main operator in their namesake outpost south of Las Vegas unveiled plans to bow out.
Cory Clemetson, president of Primm’s landowner group, wrote in an open letter published Tuesday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that casino operator Affinity Gaming’s recent disclosure that it will end its operations in Primm “has consequences beyond the simple closure of casino resorts – it affects the lives of hundreds of people and shutters a decades-long State Line beacon.”
Primm Letter by Las Vegas Review-Journal
Clemetson, grandson of the area’s namesake, the late Ernie Primm, added that hundreds of employees and residents who live and work in Primm “are now faced with the prospect of losing their jobs and, in many cases, being displaced from their homes.”
“A business is nothing without its people,” Clemetson wrote, adding that the Primm family is “exploring all options to assist the employees and their families in this difficult time.”
He also wrote that the family is “tirelessly working to find potential solutions” for the properties set to go dark.
“Be assured that we’re working toward a revitalized Primm and a return to better days,” he wrote.
‘Significant cash drain and management distraction’
Primm, an unincorporated area along Interstate 15, roughly 40 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip, has struggled for years and is about to become even quieter.
Las Vegas-based Affinity told state officials in a letter dated May 5 that it will permanently close its operations at Primm’s three hotel-casino properties – Whiskey Pete’s, Buffalo Bill’s and Primm Valley Resort – and at the Primm Center gas station and Flying J trucker fueling stop in Primm.
An apartment complex in Primm that was built for the local workforce is also closing, and the nearby Lotto store just over the border in California is closing as well.
All told, Primm has been a “significant cash drain and management distraction of Affinity for many years,” said Melissa Krantz, spokeswoman for the company, in a recent statement to the Review-Journal.
Affinity “embarked on an exhaustive analysis, an extensive evaluation of alternatives, and a robust sale process that yielded no potential buyers,” and the company “determined that the closure of Primm is a prudent business decision,” she said.
In the recent letter to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, Affinity Chief People Officer Chantelle Mark did not provide a reason for the mass shutdown.
But she said that 344 employees will lose their jobs and that the businesses will close on July 4.
Clark County chief communications and strategy officer Jennifer Cooper released a statement on May 6 saying the county is “very focused on the impact these closures will have” and is working on options “related to continuity of services” for the gas stations, to ensure they can remain available to travelers.
She also said that Clark County Social Services is getting involved to provide resources to people who live and work in Primm.
‘Nobody’s going there’
Primm has faced ever-expanding competition up the highway in America’s casino capital, which offers a seemingly endless lineup of shows, nightclubs, shops, restaurants and other places to spend time and money outside the casino floors.
At the same time, California now has tribal casino-resorts throughout the state, offering more — and often more convenient — options for customers who may have otherwise thought about going to a place like Primm.
It used to be a lucrative roadside destination on the Nevada-California border. The trio of hotel-casinos once sold for $400 million combined, and the sprawling outlet mall in Primm was reportedly among the top 10 outlet centers nationally by sales.
But the outlet mall, which is not operated by Affinity, is now almost entirely deserted, with just one store left as of this month following years of declining fortunes.
Two of the hotels also shut their doors over the past few years, with the closures previously labeled temporary, and visitors now face barricades along the perimeters of their parking lots.
Las Vegas land broker Rick Hildreth recently said that he doesn’t like seeing anything shut down or people lose their jobs. But he figured the whole concept of a place like Primm is outdated.
“Obviously it must be, because nobody’s going there,” he said.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.
