Terrible’s Swoops in to Save Primm, At Least for Now
Just when we all thought Vegas-adjacent Primm would become a ghost town, a company familiar to those in Las Vegas, Terrible’s, seems to be up for saving the day. Or at least staving off the inevitable. Sorry, it’s awkward.
Affinity Gaming previously announced the closure of Primm Valley Casino Resort, Primm Center and related operations by July 4, 2026.
Terrible’s (operated by the Herbst family, best known for their gas stations, convenience stores and taverns) has reached an agreement with the Primm family (owners of the land) to operate Primm Valley Casino Resort. The move will preserve 340-plus jobs. It will also prevent several angels from losing their wings, as happens whenever a casino closes, everybody knows that.
Under the new agreement, Terrible’s will take over operation of Primm Valley Casino Resort, Oasis Apartments (employee housing) and Primm’s popular Lotto Store. It’s popular because Las Vegas doesn’t have the lottery due to the evil machinations of Red Rock Resorts and Boyd Gaming. Don’t get us started.
Primm has struggled in recent years for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of the proliferation of tribal casinos in California.
Whiskey Pete’s and Buffalo Bill’s once rounded out the casino lineup in Primm, but those have been closed for some time. By “some time,” of course, we mean “we are not taking the time to look that up because, well, it’s not called Vital Primm.”
Beyond saving jobs, the long-term prospects for Primm are bleak. The Lotto Store can only do so much heavy lifting.
A company with vision could revitalize Primm and make it more than just a pit stop on the way to Las Vegas. The reality, though, is demand isn’t there, and visitation to Las Vegas has fallen. As Las Vegas goes, so goes Primm.
Primm is likely to end up a glorified truck stop, which doesn’t bode well for the casino, the only interesting this about Primm.
The Terrible’s takeover of Primm hasn’t been officially approved yet, but props to them for at least being willing to give this a go.
Affinity basically wanted to boot the employees with little notice. Now, they can have some breathing room before the ax falls again, as it’s likely to do down the road. Affinity can’t really be blamed for bailing, but they didn’t do it in a particularly classy way. Casino operators aren’t charities.
Most of the things that made people stop in Primm, and made them stay more than 45 minutes, are gone.
Primm does have something now that it hasn’t had in recent memory: a chance, however remote.
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