Nevada casino on brink of closure reopens to lure tourists fed up with Las Vegas prices
One month after a Nevada casino narrowly avoided closure and reopened its doors, the ironic destination is expanding its comeback — betting that lower prices and fee-free resort experiences can lure travelers frustrated by high prices in Las Vegas.
Primm Valley Resort & Casino's July 22 reopening marked a dramatic turnaround for the town of Primm, which had been on the brink of losing its last operating casino-hotel and 344 jobs earlier this summer.
The Primm family struck a last-minute deal with Las Vegas-based Terrible's to operate the properties, averting the planned closure.
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Primm Valley Resort & Casino reopened 17 days after Terrible's assumed management control.
"We're off to a great start," Cory Clemetson, president of Primm's landowning group Primm South Real Estate Company and grandson of town founder Ernie Primm, told Fox News Digital.
Cory Clemetson, pictured above right, is president of Primm South Real Estate Company and the grandson of Primm founder Ernie Primm. He said the reopening is "off to a great start." (Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images; Fox News Digital)
The company president pointed to the reopening of the pool and steakhouse, along with what he described as a positive response to the changes.
Clemetson said Primm is also aiming to offer travelers a more affordable alternative to Las Vegas.
The property is operating without resort fees and matching previously earned rewards tiers for returning customers as it works to bring longtime visitors back to Primm.
"I think right now in Las Vegas, one of the hot topics is ... people feel that private equity companies in general have taken away what's made Vegas great as a more affordable vacation by charging parking fees, resort fees," Clemetson said.
Table games could return to Primm Valley "pretty quickly," while another of the town's shuttered casino resorts, Buffalo Bill's, shown above, could eventually make a comeback. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
"Your overall ability to have a much more affordable vacation and have a great experience feels like it cost you three or four times that today," he said. "Primm is trying to reposition that and get back to attracting people."
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But affordability is only part of Primm's appeal, according to Clemetson.
He said nostalgia remains a major draw for longtime visitors.
At the eleventh hour, the Primm family in Nevada found a partner to help rescue their resorts before a dreaded closure on July 4. One of the resorts, Whiskey Pete's casino and hotel, is pictured above. (Michael Anthony for Fox News Digital)
"Primm has a special place in so many people's hearts, not just Nevadans, but neighboring states and people throughout the country that have come to Las Vegas or have taken a trip out there," he said.
"[People] don't want to see [the properties] go away, and they don't want to see them deteriorate in a way, especially the way that was being formulated by the previous operator," Clemetson added.
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More changes could soon be on the way, he indicated.
"With the right vision and the right strategy, we think that Primm can even potentially be better than it ever was."
Table games could return to Primm Valley "pretty quickly," while another of the town's shuttered casino resorts, Buffalo Bill's, could eventually make a comeback, he said.
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"I think eventually you'll see Buffalo Bill's here open, probably sooner rather than later," he said. "They're working on that, and so there's excitement."
Beyond the immediate changes, Clemetson pointed to the planned Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport near Primm as a major factor in the town's longer-term future.
"With the right vision and the right strategy, we think that Primm can even potentially be better than it ever was, and it has a chance to do that," said a Primm family member. (Getty Images)
"In the next 10 years, there's going to be a second major airport that will be built within a mile and a half of Primm, Nevada," he said.
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"And that will give Primm a strategic advantage that it's never had," he said.
"With the right vision and the right strategy, we think that Primm can even potentially be better than it ever was, and it has a chance to do that," he added.
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"There's not a guarantee, but it certainly has a chance — so we're optimistic about our future."
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