Company wants to revive Primm, the gambling spot turned ghost town on the California-Nevada border. Owners say: Not so fast

Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times on Jun 1, 2026

Published in News & Features

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A once-popular gambling mecca at the California-Nevada border that faded into obscurity could get a second life.

A Las Vegas-based truck-stop company is reportedly hoping to revive Primm to its former glory. But the would-be comeback faces a hurdle: striking a deal with the landowners, the Primm family.

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, LV Petroleum Chief Executive Kris Roach shared his plans for the state-line ghost town.

“We would like to operate everything at the exit, the hotels, the casinos, the truck stop, the stores, pretty much from farm to table,” Roach told the Review-Journal. “We would like to revive the whole exit.”

But Cory Clemetson, president of Primm and grandson of founder Ernie Primm, said in a statement shared with The Times: “Recent reports suggesting that an agreement with any specific potential partner may be imminent are overstated and premature.”

LV Petroleum is an active operator of convenience stores and travel centers with more than 80 locations across the United States, according to its LinkedIn page.

In May, Affinity Gaming, which currently operates several businesses on behalf of the Primm family, announced a plan to close most properties it had been leasing by July 4.

Whiskey Pete’s, which along with its companion resorts at Primm drew in visitors with low prices and deals, closed in 2024. Buffalo Bill’s, which featured a 209-foot-tall roller coaster, concluded its operations in 2025.

Primm Valley Resorts, the sole operating casino in Primm, remains open until the July deadline. Other stores affected by the closure include the Primm Center, the Flying J, and the Primm Lotto Store, according to KSNV NBC Las Vegas.

Primm, an alternative to Vegas for Southern Californians that cut 45 minutes off the drive, suffered a decline in tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic and saw increased competition from tribal casinos in California.

Roach told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he did not want to see the businesses go dark, adding that 344 employees would lose their jobs following the closure. Roach said, among his plans, would be reopening Whiskey Pete’s.

But the Primm family says a deal is far from done.

“Our family is currently considering opportunities involving multiple well-established operators that have successfully operated similar hotel-casino properties in Nevada,” Clemetson said. “We will continue to explore all viable options as we work toward the best possible solution especially for the hundreds of Primm employees and their families dealing with this difficult situation.”

Modern-day Primm began in the 1950s when Ernie Primm established a motel and coffee shop at the state-border location. In the 1970s, he and son Gary expanded operations to build Whiskey Pete’s. Once called State Line, the area was renamed Primm in 1996 after Ernie’s death.

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