Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino Primm is a landmark hotel-casino beside I-15 at the Nevada–California border, known for its concert arena and towering roller coaster. Its roadside location and entertainment history are its strongest draws, but full-time operations ended July 7, 2025, and the supplied records do not establish its current public availability. I would consider it for a specifically confirmed arena event, not a dependable daily gambling stop or overnight resort.
Buffalo Bill’s at a glance
| Location | Primm, Nevada, beside I-15 near the California border |
|---|---|
| Address | 31700 S Las Vegas Blvd, Primm, NV 89019 |
| Property type | Hotel-casino and entertainment venue |
| Operating status | Full-time operations ended in July 2025; current public availability remains unresolved in the supplied records |
| Regular hours | No current daily opening schedule established |
| Historical hotel inventory | 1,242 rooms, not a count of currently bookable rooms |
| Arena | Star of the Desert Arena, historically reported as a 6,500-seat venue |
| Poker room | Reportedly closed in 2013 |
| Listed phone | +1-702-386-7867; current routing has not been confirmed |
| Source compilation date | October 12, 2026; not confirmation that the property is open |
Is Buffalo Bill’s open?
Do not assume Buffalo Bill’s is open for daily gambling or hotel stays. Dated reporting establishes that continuous operations ended July 7, 2025, followed by occasional concert openings. Later closure announcements and licensing applications leave its current public availability unresolved in the supplied records.
- September 2025: Reporting described permission for part-time concert and special-event openings.
- May 2026: Reporting announced that Affinity’s Primm operations would permanently close July 4, 2026.
- June 25, 2026: A Nevada regulatory agenda named Stateline BBRC 31700 LVB, LLC as the Buffalo Bill’s licensing applicant. Recommendation and disposition fields were blank.
- July 22, 2026: A later Vegas Advantage update reported that Terrible’s reopened neighboring Primm Valley Resort. That is not evidence that Buffalo Bill’s reopened.
A part-time operating arrangement is not an event calendar. A licensing application is not an approval. And a surviving hotel listing is not proof that someone will hand you a room key.
Before making a special trip, obtain date-specific confirmation of public entrances, event admission, hotel availability, casino access, and food service. If those details cannot be confirmed, I would arrange lodging and meals elsewhere.
Property overview: a Primm landmark, not a Strip resort
Buffalo Bill’s opened in 1994 with a substantial hotel, concert arena, amusement rides, and a recognizable Western theme. It was considerably more than a place to buy gas and play a few slots.
It is part of the familiar Primm cluster alongside Primm Valley Resort and Whiskey Pete’s, roughly 40 miles south of Las Vegas. The South Las Vegas Boulevard address does not put it on the Strip, and the three properties should not be assumed to share an operating schedule.
Its former resort identity needs to be separated from its usefulness to a traveler today. A roller coaster on the skyline is a landmark, not an operating-hours sign.
Casino floor and games
Buffalo Bill’s historically offered slots, video poker, and table games, but its floor contracted before full-time operations ended. Vegas Advantage’s June 2025 account described removed machines, inactive sections, and a largely emptied high-limit area.
Older machine counts are poor planning tools. the published information does not establish current machine inventory, staffed tables, or dependable gaming hours. A confirmed arena event does not necessarily mean the casino will operate.
Slots and historical video poker
Video poker improved while other parts of the casino contracted. Vegas Advantage reported 8/5 Bonus Poker at quarter, half-dollar, and dollar denominations in 2025, with a published theoretical return of 99.17% under perfect play and a five-coin wager.
That describes a specific historical offering, not today’s machine availability or a promise about what a player will win.
Gamboool comparison: denomination versus value
Gamboool original analysis
We assembled the comparison below from published information and our calculations. These are selected examples, rather than measured gambling sessions or a representative survey.
| Detail | Published information |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bill’s and neighboring Primm casinos: Reported transition away from continuous operation | May 2026 reporting distinguishes Buffalo Bill’s event-only operation from Primm Valley Resort’s then-full-time operation and Whiskey Pete’s earlier closure. |
| Buffalo Bill’s: 2025 temporary-closure arrangement | September 2025 reporting describes county permission for part-time operation, rather than a requirement to remain continuously open. |
| Buffalo Bill’s: Event-opening request versus regulatory minimum | The reported request covered occasional concert openings; the quarterly licensing requirement was not a public daily operating schedule. |
| Affinity Gaming’s Primm operations: May 2026 announced closure | The operator announced that its Primm operations would close. This dated announcement should not be presented as proof that no successor could reopen a property. |
| Primm Valley Resort: Later reopening reported for the neighboring property | A subsequent source update reports a Terrible’s reopening of Primm Valley Resort. That update does not establish a Buffalo Bill’s reopening. |
| Buffalo Bill’s gaming-license application: Applicant named in June 2026 agenda | The regulatory agenda names Stateline BBRC 31700 LVB, LLC as the applicant associated with Buffalo Bill’s. An agenda application is not an approval or an operating-hours confirmation. |
| Primm race books and sports pools: Operator referenced in June 2026 licensing applications | The agenda references Brandywine Bookmaking for race-book and sports-pool revenue applications at the three Primm casinos. It does not confirm staffed sportsbook access on a visitor’s dates. |
| Buffalo Bill’s Wyndham listing: Price-display tax treatment | Calendar prices include taxes and fees, while prices elsewhere on the listing include fees but not taxes. Compare final totals rather than treating the displays as equivalent. |
| Buffalo Bill’s Wyndham listing: Parking and WiFi versus charging costs | The listing advertises free parking and WiFi but fee-based Tesla charging. These are published listing terms, not confirmation that access is currently available. |
| Buffalo Bill’s Wyndham listing: Published pet allowance and fee structure | The listing allows up to two pets within its stated weight limit and describes an additional nightly charge, without supplying a fee amount in the opened text. |
| Buffalo Bill’s food court: Published dining schedule | Food-court hours vary by event rather than following a fixed daily schedule in the listing. |
| Buffalo Bill’s snack bar: Published dining schedule | Snack-bar hours also vary by event, so the advertised menu does not establish dependable late-night dining. |
| Buffalo Bill’s table-game offering: Reported historical replacement of live tables | Vegas Advantage reports that live tables were replaced by chipless hybrid machines in October 2024. Traditional live-table descriptions should not be treated as a current inventory. |
| Buffalo Bill’s video poker: Historical denomination comparison and return conditions | The 2025 report identifies quarter, half-dollar, and dollar 8/5 Bonus Poker with the same published theoretical payback, conditional on perfect play and a five-coin wager. It does not establish current availability. |
| Buffalo Bill’s poker room and inter-property transportation: Reported amenity discontinuations | Vegas Advantage attributes the poker-room closure date to a poker expert and reports that inter-casino trams stopped later. Neither amenity should be promised from an old resort description. |
| Buffalo Bill’s amusement rides: Reported operating history | The 2025 report says the rides became intermittent before closing in 2019; visible ride structures are not evidence of operating attractions. |
| Calculation | Result | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Historical 8/5 Bonus Poker: five-coin quarter-denomination wager | $1.25 per hand | The quarter denomination requires the smallest five-coin wager among the reported historical options. This comparison does not establish present machine availability. |
| Historical 8/5 Bonus Poker: five-coin half-dollar-denomination wager | $2.50 per hand | Moving to the half-dollar denomination increases the amount risked per hand without improving the published theoretical return for this historical paytable. |
| Historical 8/5 Bonus Poker: five-coin dollar-denomination wager | $5.00 per hand | The dollar denomination requires the largest five-coin wager in this historical comparison. Choose a denomination that fits your budget rather than treating the higher stake as better value. |
| Historical 8/5 Bonus Poker: theoretical return on illustrative total wagering | $991.70 in theoretical gross return | The published return describes long-run, perfect-play performance, not a promised session payout. It applies to the reported historical game, not an unverified current offering. |
Research references: reviewjournal.com 1, cdcgaming.com, reviewjournal.com 3, vegasadvantage.com 4, gaming.nv.gov, wyndhamhotels.com, vegasadvantage.com 7.
Method: Published inputs collected 2026-10-12. Illustrative assumptions are labeled, and the full calculation inputs remain in the saved research record. These examples support planning; they do not predict a particular session.
Our compilation separates advertised facilities, dated operating reports, and licensing records rather than treating them as interchangeable. The supplied arithmetic also explains the historical video poker offering without implying that we tested the machines.
At five coins per hand, the reported denominations produce wagers of $1.25, $2.50, and $5.00, respectively. A higher denomination does not improve the published theoretical return for that same pay table. It puts more money into each hand.
For an illustrative $1,000.00 in cumulative wagering, the reported 99.17% theoretical return produces $991.70 in theoretical gross return. Cumulative wagering is not an initial bankroll. This is a long-run mathematical illustration, not a session prediction; actual results can differ sharply, and imperfect strategy changes the return.
My takeaway: choose a denomination your budget can handle, inspect the actual pay table, and do not assume a familiar game title means familiar payouts. These calculations apply only to the reported historical game.
Table games
According to Vegas Advantage, traditional live tables were replaced by chipless hybrid games in October 2024. Its later account identified Roll to Win Craps, Dual Wheel Roulette, and Easy Blackjack, and reported that the hybrid pit stopped operating in June 2025.
Those names belong in the property’s history, not a promised lineup for your visit. No supported current minimum bets are available. I would not drive here expecting inexpensive blackjack based on an old guide.
Poker room
Vegas Advantage reports that Buffalo Bill’s poker room closed in 2013, attributing the date to poker expert Rob Solomon. the published information contains no evidence of a reopening.
Video poker and casino-banked poker games are not a dedicated room with player-versus-player cash games or tournaments. Buffalo Bill’s is not a supported choice for a poker trip.
Sportsbook
Historical descriptions referenced a William Hill race and sports book. The June 2026 licensing agenda names Brandywine Bookmaking in race-book and sports-pool revenue applications involving the Primm properties.
That reference does not establish a staffed counter, working kiosks, hours, or current wagering access at Buffalo Bill’s. Confirm these separately.
Hotel availability and stay costs
The historically reported 1,242 rooms show how substantial Buffalo Bill’s once was, not how many rooms can now be reserved.
Wyndham’s undated listing describes a pet-friendly hotel with free WiFi, a fitness center, a seasonal outdoor pool and hot tub, shops, and other facilities. These advertised features conflict with dated closure reporting and require direct confirmation.
If a room is explicitly available for a confirmed arena event, avoiding a late drive after the show could be worthwhile. Compare that convenience with the services actually included, not the resort’s former amenity list.
Compare the final booking total
No supported current nightly rate, resort fee, pet-fee amount, or incidental-deposit amount is supplied. Old bargain rates are not useful substitutes.
Wyndham’s page also presents a comparison trap: calendar prices include taxes and fees, while prices elsewhere on the listing include fees but not taxes. Compare final checkout totals for identical dates and room terms.
Then account for pet charges, charging costs, and transportation. Ask separately about refundable deposit holds, cancellation deadlines, check-in and check-out times, and required room features.
An on-site stay should reduce logistical trouble. If you still need to travel elsewhere for dinner and cannot confirm casino access, its convenience advantage becomes smaller.
Restaurants and bars
Do not plan dinner from an older Buffalo Bill’s restaurant directory. Vegas Advantage’s 2026 account describes outdated online dining information, including listings for closed outlets.
Wyndham advertises a food court and snack bar with hours varying by event. Described offerings include breakfast sandwiches, tacos, burritos, pizza, and chicken fingers. This is not confirmation of daily service.
For a show, ask whether food will be served before and after the performance. A concession counter is not necessarily a sit-down dinner, and no supported current menu prices or bar schedule are supplied. Visitors with dietary restrictions should make a specific meal plan before arriving.
Star of the Desert Arena and former attractions
The Star of the Desert Arena, historically reported as a 6,500-seat venue, is Buffalo Bill’s defining entertainment asset. Occasional concerts were central to its post-July 2025 operating plan, but that history does not establish a current schedule.
For any announced event, check the organizer’s admission, entrance, accessibility, parking, and cancellation information. Confirm hotel rooms and other resort facilities separately.
Do not plan a visit around riding the Desperado roller coaster. Vegas Advantage reports that the amusement rides closed permanently in 2019. Visible tracks and old photographs are not evidence of an operating amusement park.
Pool access also requires confirmation. Wyndham’s Bonnie and Clyde exhibition description is another caution: May 2026 Review-Journal reporting placed the exhibit at neighboring Primm Valley Resort, not Buffalo Bill’s.
Directions, parking, charging, and practical information
The I-15 location is straightforward for drivers. The bigger questions are whether the property can be entered and which entrance a confirmed event uses. May 2026 Review-Journal reporting described barricaded entrances and parking-lot perimeters.
Wyndham advertises free parking and more than 40 Tesla Superchargers, with charging subject to a fee. Neither listing establishes current access. Check live charging information and event instructions before depending on either.
Wyndham places Harry Reid International Airport 39 miles away. That is a listed distance, not a travel-time promise. Arrange transportation beforehand rather than assuming an airport shuttle or immediate return rideshare pickup.
Vegas Advantage reports that intercasino trams stopped running around 2015. Old maps showing connected resorts are not a transportation plan.
Accessible rooms, arena seating, step-free routes, smoking conditions, and pet arrangements need date-specific confirmation. A general hotel listing does not necessarily answer accessibility questions for an event-only opening.
Rewards program
Historical accounts praised generous gaming offers in Primm, but the supplied records do not establish a currently usable Buffalo Bill’s rewards program or redemption schedule.
For an old offer or players card, confirm the property, expiration date, and redemption arrangements. A casino-group promotion does not prove this casino is open. I would not expand a gambling budget just to chase points.
Historical praise and common complaints
Available feedback comes from specialist firsthand reports and secondary descriptions of reviews, not a representative guest survey. The Wyndham extract contains no usable individual guest reviews, and these accounts largely describe conditions before full-time operations ended.
What drew praise
Vegas Advantage described friendly employee interactions across Primm, generous gaming offers, and improved video poker. These observations explain why some gamblers still found value despite the wider decline, but they are historical specialist impressions, not current service promises.
Complaints and limitations
The publication also described cleanliness and maintenance complaints across Primm hotel reviews, aging rooms, and diminished amenities. The supplied records do not isolate their frequency at Buffalo Bill’s, so a property-specific guest consensus would overstate the evidence.
The more directly useful concern is unreliable online information. Specialist accounts describe mismatches involving dining, booking, gaming, and ride hours. The surviving Wyndham listing and dated closure reports illustrate why a polished amenity page is insufficient.
Why gaming impressions differed
Better video poker and a disappointing casino atmosphere can coexist. Vegas Advantage praised improved pay tables while criticizing the hybrid-table conversion and the empty pit’s effect on the room.
A machine-focused player could appreciate a particular game while someone seeking lively table action found the same property unsatisfying. Neither experience makes the whole casino uniformly good or bad.
Who Buffalo Bill’s is best for
- Best fit: Readers researching Primm’s casino history and people checking a specifically announced arena event with confirmed access.
- Weak fit: Travelers needing a dependable daily casino, a full-service overnight resort, live poker, or a family trip built around amusement rides.
Buffalo Bill’s has a memorable identity, but nostalgia is not a reservation. Until the services you need are explicitly confirmed, choose an available alternative. Our Nevada casinos guide can help broaden the search.
Frequently asked questions
Is Buffalo Bill’s permanently closed?
A permanent closure of Affinity’s operations was announced for July 4, 2026. The supplied records also contain a subsequent licensing application, however, and do not resolve Buffalo Bill’s current public availability. They establish neither a confirmed reopening nor that no successor operation is possible.
Did Buffalo Bill’s reopen with Primm Valley Resort?
That has not been established. The reported July 22, 2026 reopening concerns Primm Valley Resort, a separate property.
Does a concert mean the hotel and casino are open?
No. Confirm event admission, lodging, casino access, and dining separately. Earlier event-based operating plans do not confirm services for a new event.
Can you ride the Desperado roller coaster?
The supplied specialist reporting says the amusement rides closed permanently in 2019. Do not travel expecting a ride.
Does Buffalo Bill’s have a poker room?
Its poker room reportedly closed in 2013, and the published information does not establish a reopening.
What are Buffalo Bill’s room rates and resort fees?
No supported current amounts are supplied. If booking becomes available, compare the final total, including taxes and mandatory fees, and obtain cancellation terms before paying.
Does Buffalo Bill’s have a real-money online casino?
the published information does not establish one. A rewards site or social casino should not be confused with a regulated real-money gambling service.
Sources and research note
- Las Vegas Review-Journal: May 2026 reporting, covering the closure announcement, historical room inventory, barricades, operating changes, and exhibition location.
- CDC Gaming: September 2025 part-time operating arrangement and arena information.
- Nevada gaming regulators: June 25, 2026 special-meeting agenda. An application agenda, not an approval disposition.
- Vegas Advantage: June 2025 Buffalo Bill’s closure report, historical gaming observations, and amusement-ride history.
- Vegas Advantage: Primm analysis, including a later update about neighboring Primm Valley Resort.
- Wyndham: Buffalo Bill’s listing. Undated advertised amenities and pricing-display terms require availability confirmation.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal: Affinity’s closure announcement and Primm’s future.
- Primm Valley Resorts website. Retained from the existing page; current accuracy is not established here.
Research note: Sources were supplied for an October 12, 2026 compilation. The original comparison combines selected public-source observations and supplied arithmetic, not exclusive underlying data, a representative survey, or a firsthand casino test. No personal visit, stay, meal, or gambling session by Steve is claimed. The existing image is retained and does not establish current facility availability. This article is ready for the owner’s editorial review, not independently fact-checked. Operating status and booking details require review before the separate publishing action.
You must be 21 or older to gamble.
Poker room and sportsbook
There is no on-site sportsbook.