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Located on the border of California and Nevada, Primm offers the first casino for those traveling into Nevada (or the last casino for those leaving).
Introduction to Primm, Nevada
Originally known as State Line, Primm started out as a small motel and coffee shop built by Ernest Primm (1901-1981) in the 1950s. Along with his son Gary, he expanded the town by building a casino resort. In 1996, the town was officially named in Ernest’s honor.
Primm was once home to three casinos, all under the Primm Valley Resorts umbrella, but only one remains. They were all built by the Primms. MGM Grand Inc., later MGM Mirage, acquired the properties in March 1999, and they were in turn sold to Herbst Gaming, Inc., on April 10, 2007. Herbst is now known as Affinity Interactive, who continues to own the properties.
Primm Valley Resort
The Primadonna Resort & Casino opened in 1990 and was renamed Primm Valley Resort on April 28, 1997. It has 624 rooms and suites along with 37,779 square feet (3,509.8 square meters) of gaming space.
The Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, rebranded Prizm Outlets in 2020, is a shopping mall added in 1998. It had 371,000 square feet (34,500 square meters) of retail space. Tenants dwindled to just one by July 2025, and the interior of the mall is closed to the public.
Bonnie & Clyde Car
Primm Valley Resort displays the very car in which legendary gangsters Bonnie & Clyde were gunned down. They were killed on May 23, 1934, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. The exhibit was at Whiskey Pete’s Casino until it moved to Buffalo Bill’s in February 2022 and finally to its current location after the latter closed in 2025. (Note: All photos below are from the exhibit at Whiskey Pete’s.)
If that’s not enough, they also have the shirt Clyde was wearing at the time as well as other memorabilia related to the pair. You can even see the front page of the Dallas Morning News announcing their deaths and the apprehension orders from J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972).
Dutch Schultz Car
The 1931 Lincoln owned by mobster Dutch Schultz (1901-1935) adds to the casino’s collection. It was built with bulletproof doors and inch-thick glass. After Schultz was murdered in 1935, the car was used by Al Capone’s gang. It was later seized by the Chicago Police and sold at auction.
How Vegas was “Made”
Finally, a wall on the casino titled “How Vegas was ‘Made'” gives a timeline of mob influence and event in Las Vegas history. I don’t have any information on whether or not the timeline moved along with the rest of the exhibit.
Whiskey Pete’s Casino (Permanently Closed)
Whiskey Pete’s Casino opened in 1977. It was named after Pete MacIntyre, who used to own a gas station on the property but turned to bootlegging to make a living. MacIntyre, nicknamed Whiskey Pete, died in 1933, and his unmarked grave was accidentally exhumed when workers were building a bridge to connect the casino with Buffalo Bill’s across I-15.
Whiskey Pete’s had 777 rooms and 34,800 square feet (3,230 square meters) of gaming space. The casino displayed the Bonnie and Clyde car for several years. It closed on December 20, 2024.
Primm Valley Resort runs 90-minute ghost tours at Whiskey Pete’s. They cost US$145 per person (as of October 2025) and run on select evenings.
Buffalo Bill’s (Permanently Closed)
Buffalo Bill’s opened on May 14, 1994, with 592 rooms. It was home to the Desperado roller coaster, which featured a 225-foot drop, as well as a flume ride and a pool shaped like a buffalo. The two hotel towers were named for Wild West personalities Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917) and Annie Oakley (1860-1926).
The property closed on March 17, 2020, due to COVID-19 and spent the next two years remodeling. It reopened on December 23, 2022, but without the two rides operating.
By the time Buffalo Bill’s halted all operations on July 7, 2025, it had 1,242 rooms and 61,372 square feet (5,701.6 square meters) of gaming space. It’s now open only for special events and concerts.
