A month away from closing, the former gambling den of Primm, Nev., on the state border with Southern California, has a new lease on life.
The Primm family, owners of land that includes three casino resorts and other businesses along the 15 Freeway, on Tuesday announced a partnership aimed at saving the struggling state line and hundreds of jobs.
The agreement allows it Las Vegas-based Terrible’sowned by the Herbst family and perhaps most famous for its many gas stations and convenience stores, working properties.
“What we saw in them is the same energy we had in rebuilding Primm,” said Cory Clemetson, explaining the new deal with Terrible’s in an interview with The Times. Clemetson is president of Primm South Real Estate Co. and is the grandson of Primm founder Ernie Primm, who made a name for himself in Southern California in the 1930s and ’40s with his Gardena card rooms.
In the summer of 2025, signs block the entrance to Primm Mall, a once-popular site with dozens of casinos on the California-Nevada state line.
(Bridget Bennett / For The Times)
“Primm’s has long been one of Nevada’s most recognizable spots,” Tim Herbst, president of Terrible’s, said in a statement. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to maintaining that legacy while creating new opportunities for growth, investment, and tourism for decades to come.”
Terrible’s takes over from Affinity Gaming, owned by private equity firm Z Capital Partners, in the full circle gaming world of southern Nevada. In 2010, Herbst Gaming declared bankruptcy and saw Primm acquired by Z Capital Partners.
An email to Affinity Gaming representatives was not immediately returned.
The process of returning Terrible’s to Primm began on May 5, when Affinity confirmed the closure of Primm Valley Casino Resorts.
Affinity’s subsidiary, Primadonna Co. LLC, sent termination notices to more than 300 employees as of July 4.
The closing was very painful, Clemetson said.
He said: “It felt like a heartbeat. “I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me that they’re going to announce something like that on the Fourth of July. Laying off more than 300 Nevadans, most of whom are low income earners with nowhere to go, did not go down well with my family.”
Primm Valley was the last of three resorts built between 1977 and 1994 on the site that remains in full operation.
Buffalo Bill’s, the largest of the three resorts, will close 24-7 operations in July 2025, behind Whiskey Pete’s, the first casino, closed in December 2024.
Affinity Gaming declined multiple requests from The Times to comment on Primm’s struggles.
In a letter presented at a meeting of the Clark County board of commissioners, Erin Barnett, vice president and general counsel of Affinity, wrote in October 2024 that “vehicles in the state area appeared to be overloaded with weekend activity and insufficient to support three full-time casino properties.”
Scott Butera, Affinity’s chief executive officer and president, offered a few thoughts on the closing of the meeting May 21 Nevada Gaming Commission meeting.
“As a tenant with a tough lease and an expensive building and the competition that’s increasing every day in California … it’s become a very difficult thing,” he said, “and we’ve been losing money there for years.”
Clemetson said Affinity has asked for help over the years, such as rent reductions, but the Primm family knew nothing about Affinity’s finances.
Regarding the future, Clemetson said that the Terrible are in the process of getting Primm’s playing license back, which he hopes will happen in the next three weeks.
He also said that it was the intention of the Herbst and Primm families to try to get all the employees who received the termination letter to be hired.
Clemson said he was excited about Primm’s future under Terrible’s and ended his 2010 bankruptcy in the Great Recession.
“They’re facing the same fate as a lot of big brands like MGM and Caesars,” Clemetson said.
“They are very well thought of in Nevada and are a very successful family that does well,” he added.
Speaking about Primm’s chances of regaining his former glory, Clemetson returned to his past as a sports agent for players on the LA Galaxy soccer team.
“I can’t tell you how many people have told me that I’m an idiot to represent football players because football will not come here,” he said. “Now, Major League Soccer has a few franchises over a billion dollars.”
As for Tim Herbst and his family, “we believe Primm’s best days are yet to come.”
