Buffalo Bill’s Casino in Primm Shuts Down for Good

^{Buffalo Bill's is a place anyone who travels between Las Vegas and California knows, or at least has seen. (Photo: courtesy of Primm Valley Resorts)}

After 30 years as one of the most recognizable roadside casinos on the drive to Las Vegas, Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada, has officially ceased operations as of July 7, 2025. The casino’s parent company Primm Valley Resorts announced the closure via a brief statement on X earlier this week, leaving locals and visitors alike with mixed reactions.

According to the announcement earlier this week, the property’s Star of the Desert Arena will remain open for concerts and other special events only. Regular casino and hotel operations are being consolidated under its sister property, Primm Valley Resort & Casino, which is expected to absorb most of the ongoing traffic.

The statement framed it as a strategic shift of business from operator company Affinity Gaming, though it feels like a surrender after years of a decline. Many Nevada locals visited Buffalo Bill’s before it was set to close, documenting the emptiness of the property on Tiktok and other social media platforms.

A Once Vibrant Sin City Pit Stop 

Buffalo Bill’s has long been a recognizable pit stop along the California-Nevada border. Opened in 1994 by Gary Primm, it was created along with other Primm destinations as an affordable alternative to Las Vegas, to capitalize on overflow traffic of visitors and families coming to the big city.

Buffalo Bill’s looks like it’ll transport you right to the Wild West, offering highlights like a log flume ride, a Buffalo-shaped pool, and the Desperado roller coaster. The Desperado drew in thrill seekers across the US, as one of the longest steel roller coasters in the world, stretching a whopping 5,843 feet long and traveling at 80 mph.   

The log flume ride also used to be a beloved attraction for young kids visiting the resort with family. Recent visits to the defunct log ride now show it being almost post-apocalyptic, as seen in Exploring Attractions’ Youtube video. 

One of the only attractions that will continue to remain open at Buffalo Bill’s is the Star of the Desert Arena. With a 6,500-seat capacity, the arena became known for mid-sized concert tours that offered an option for fans who didn’t want to venture all the way into the Vegas area. Primm Valley Resorts did not state any plans for demolishment in their announcement, meaning the rest of the property will simply sit empty and quiet until further notice.

This closure isn’t the first one for Buffalo Bill's - the property temporarily closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Though it reopened in December 2022 with revamped slot machines and live table games, it never truly regained its footing. Two and a half years later, the decision to halt daily operations seems less like a financial pivot—and more like the closing of a chapter.

Birth of a Ghost Town?

Primm has increasingly been looking more like a Nevada ghost town and other properties in the area aren’t faring much better. The Primm Valley Golf Club permanently closed in 2024, and the Primm Outlets mall next door currently hosts just one tenant. The closures are shocking for the 51,000 cars that pass through Primm daily, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Buffalo Bill's is the second casino to shut down in Primm. Whiskey Pete's ceased operations in December. Both properties are owned by Las Vegas-based Affinity Gaming, which also owns the Primm Valley Resort, now the last remaining hotel-casino in the storied border town. 

In a letter sent to Clark County in March requesting a pause for its business license, Affinity officials explained the struggles the area has faced since COVID.

"The positive news is that, expected development of an airport and ancillary businesses has created the prospect of a resurgence for the area in the coming years," the letter said. "However, in the interim, it is not feasible to keep all three casino properties staffed, supported, and open to the public on a full-time basis."  

Despite what the traffic numbers might show, it’s hard to have faith that Primm will continue to draw in visitors. Locals have noticed the decline in Primm’s relevance, with many people reminiscing on the nostalgia of the place. Las Vegas Locally reacted to the closure in a recent Instagram post. “The drive into NV will never be the same,” one commenter stated, while a new local commented they “never knew it was open” in the first place.

While Las Vegas itself remains an obvious hub of entertainment in Nevada, Primm now struggles to offer travelers a solid reason to pull over and explore the border town. With so many travelers focused on getting to Las Vegas, the town’s aging attractions and closed down properties feel more like relics than ever before. Buffalo Bill’s may not have had the glitz of the Strip casinos and resorts, but it had its own kind of Western charm for families looking for a fun pit stop before getting to the big city.