Whiskey Pete’s Casino Closed (For Now At Least)
Back in the 1990s, Primm, Nevada was an amazing outpost for people making the decently distant trek from Southern Nevada to Las Vegas. Sure, you could drive another 45 minutes to get to Las Vegas, but why? Plenty of outlet shopping, plus Buffalo Bills, Primadonna and Whiskey Pete’s are there to keep you entertained for the day. Well, things aren’t what they used to be and now Whiskey Pete’s Casino closed, albeit temporarily.
Just like the outlet mall, and the log flume ride, and the rollercoaster, temporarily may be forever.
Whiskey Pete’s Casino Closed In Wake Of Primm’s Downward Trajectory
One thing that has changed from the 1990s to today is that Southern California has added more casinos than ever before. People that want to game don’t need to make it to the Nevada border to feed their obsession. Cars today can drive themselves. There are more options than the Highway Stations for music. Caffeinated beverages feature 300mg of the “stay awake” chemical.
Whiskey Pete’s Casino closed due to a slow regression of Primm, Nevada for those reasons and more. In the early 2000s, MGM Mirage actually owned the properties. The outlet mall was bustling. The log ride was moving and the rollercoaster was thrilling people.
By 2007, the major Las Vegas casino operator had seen where the stop was headed and offloaded it to Terrible Herbst Gaming, which later became Affinity Gaming. Despite their best efforts, more and more people were skipping past Primm.
When COVID hit, it was a big bump in the road for Las Vegas and a massive pit for Primm. The rollercoaster and log ride closed. Traffic ground to a halt. The outlet store, already struggling, took a final blow (today it has no tenants and it was sold for about $1 per square foot which is insane).
Whiskey Pete’s, on the southbound side of Interstate 15, may have outlived its usefulness. Affinity Gaming is doing its best to keep what remains of Primm alive. They still maintain the 47 year old property is closed just for now, but we fear Whiskey Pete’s Casino closed forever.
