A company that operates 84 truck stops in 34 states, including three in Nevada, is interested in taking over the hotels, casinos and other amenities at Primm.
The top executive of LV Petroleum LLC — the fourth-largest truck-stop chain in the U.S. — said Wednesday the company hopes to make a deal quickly with the Primm family, which owns the land on the California-Nevada border at Primm, and Affinity Gaming, the tenant that has operated several businesses there, including three casino hotels that sell tickets to most trucks and lotteries in California. stop.
LV Petroleum CEO Kris Roach said he hopes to negotiate a deal to keep the truck stop open before the July 4 scheduled end date.
“We would like to operate everything at the exit, the hotels, the casinos, the truck stop, the stores, pretty much farm to table,” Roach said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We would like to revive the whole exit.”
Roach indicated that changes would not happen overnight, but that it would be LV Petroleum’s vision “to restore that entire output and make Primm great again.”
He said LV Petroleum has partners licensed to run casino operations and hotels so he does not see a transition as a problem.
“Our core business is that we are truck stop operators and C-store operators, and we also operate over 200 quick service and full service restaurants,” Roach said.
“We’re a plug and play, so it would be an easy transition for us,” he said.
Affinity officials alerted state officials in a May 5 letter of their plans to make what had been temporary closures of Buffalo Bill’s and Primm Valley Resort permanent. The company had already closed Whiskey Pete’s in December 2024.
On May 10, Affinity CEO Scott Butera detailed closure plans in an appearance before the Nevada Gaming Control Board during an unrelated licensing matter.
During that hearing, Butera alluded to LV Petroleum’s interest in acquiring some of Primm’s assets, but did not provide details on a timeline or acquisition price.
But Roach indicated he didn’t want the stores to go dark or lose employees. An estimated 344 employees at the hotels and amenities would lose their jobs if the July 4 closing occurs.
Reopening Whiskey Pete’s
Roach indicated that LV Petroleum would be interested in reopening Whiskey Pete’s, the 777-room hotel property on the west side of Interstate 15 about 60 miles south of Las Vegas, if a deal can be made.
LV Petroleum operates the TA Travel Center near the Railroad Pass Casino between Henderson and Boulder City and the TA Travel Centers in West Wendover and Carlin. It also owns several Conoco-branded gas stations throughout the valley.
In his elaboration of the Primm suspension before the control board, Butera said the company is making every effort to transfer the Primm units to another owner.
“We tried a lot of things there, including building a new sign and adding new slot machines,” Butera said in a hearing before Board of Control Chairman Mike Dreitzer. “The long and short of it is that it is simply not viable as a casino operation and as such we informed the landlord that we can no longer operate.”
“Grievously Concerned”
Dreitzer said regulators are seriously concerned about the Primm shutdown, because the city serves as a gateway to southern Nevada from its largest market, Southern California.
Roach said his company has not received final word on whether the company’s plan to open one side of the I-15 off-ramp first and then follow up with the other side would be accepted.
“We’re still waiting back for final feedback, but we’ve met with the family. We’ve had conversations with Affinity Gaming,” he said. “We’re trying to save it from going dark, and we’d really like to keep everyone gainfully employed.”
–
