Nevada residents lose out on famous lottery retailer just over the border

By Kate Northrop

NIPTON, Calif. — Nevada residents are mourning the closing of the best-selling lottery retailer in California, a popular stop for Nevadans to play the lottery just right over the border.

Nevada residents who enjoy playing the lottery just steps across state lines will have to look for an alternative location to get their tickets with the shuttering of the California Lottery's busiest retailer.

It's not uncommon that the Primm Valley Lotto Store will boast lines of customers way beyond its doors just before billion-dollar jackpot drawings. Since Nevada is one of five US jurisdictions that does not have a state lottery, some Nevada residents will drive 40 minutes from Las Vegas just to participate in the fun at this popular lottery destination.

Because the convenience store is located roughly 40 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, it has driven enormous volume of Nevadans crossing the Nevada-California border to buy tickets and has historically claimed the top spot among the California Lottery's best-selling retailers since it opened in 1992.

But come July 4, the Primm Valley Lotto Store will be closing its doors for good.

"Primm Valley Lotto is still considered one of the California Lottery's top retailers," California Lottery Information Officer Daniel Kelly said in an email to The Nevada Independent. "We have enjoyed our partnership with them over the years and were disappointed to hear the news that they were closing. Fortunately for our players, we have other nearby retailers ready to maintain the spirit of play."

To reliably find those alternative retailers, lottery players typically use the Lottery Places app, which can find the nearest lottery retailers in California or any other state. Lottery Places, available for both Android and iOS platforms, can search by landmark (point of interest) or partial or full address to locate participating stores, view details such as operating hours and services, and get directions — perfect for cross-border trips like those from Nevada.

The Primm family, which owns the land that many of the town's gaming businesses sit on, lease the land to a casino operator company called Affinity Gaming, which runs the businesses in the area. It's an arrangement that goes back about 15 years, after Affinity took over operations from another bankrupt gaming company.

However, Affinity Gaming is owned by a New York hedge fund and private equity firm called Z Capital, which holds funding and sway over Affinity's management in its day-to-day operations. Ultimately, it came down to a "prudent business decision" to walk away from those businesses, which a Z Capital spokesperson said was "a significant cash drain and management distraction for Affinity for many years."

"We have run a very large facility there, and for numerous years, the property has been declining and losing money," Affinity Gaming CEO Scott Butera reasoned with the Nevada Gaming Control Board in a meeting. "We've invested a lot of money in that asset over the years, to no avail. We tried many things there, including building a new sign and [adding] new slot machines. The long and short of it is that it's just not viable as a casino operation, and as such, we informed the landlord that we're no longer able to operate."

With the closure of the Lotto Store and three other casinos, it will mean the loss of at least 340 jobs, but Butera said that Affinity is "working tirelessly" to find solutions for those Primm workers who will be out of a job and potentially displaced from their company-owned homes.

"We've had many, many agencies there to assist the employees that are there, either in continuing their employment, hopefully, or finding new employment, housing, etc, so all I can say is we've been incredibly cooperative and hopeful that things are going well," Butera explained. "We've organized everything from health care to relocation of housing and food programs. We'll also contract to run a shuttle back and forth to and from Las Vegas daily so people can interview for employment."

The next closest lottery retailer to Primm is a kiosk-only location 6 miles away, but lottery fan John Rodill told reporters from The Nevada Independent that he would rather add another 45 minutes to his trip from Las Vegas to visit a fully-staffed lottery store with countertop service in Baker, California.

"I like visiting the employees at the counters," the Las Vegas resident said.

Domenic Bosa told the media outlet that he's been visiting Primm to buy lottery tickets for the past 25 years, often turning it into a fun family trip with the surrounding restaurants and attractions.

"Indian casinos have taken a lot of business away from Primm," Bosa said in an interview. "That was expected. It's too bad the lottery store is going away. I'm not sure where I'll go."