Poker Palace in North Las Vegas is preparing to shut its doors in the coming weeks, and the closure will result in the loss of dozens of jobs. The small casino, which operates slot machines, table games, and a sportsbook, is being sold, according to a notice filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
Key Takeaways
- Poker Palace casino in North Las Vegas is set to close on Oct. 1, affecting dozens of employees.
- An attorney filed a WARN Act notice to state officials regarding the job cuts.
- According to the notice, the closure is only temporary.
A company attorney notified the state about the sale and the layoffs of the company's employees that would follow. The sale should go through on Oct. 1, which is also the casino's final operating day.
The WARN notice considers the closure temporary, but no date for reopening has been provided.
The Poker Palace has served North Las Vegas locals for generations, and its scheduled closure is another contraction of the city's hotel market. No buyer has been publicly disclosed, but the WARN Act requires employers that have 100 or more staff members to provide 60 days' notice before closure or mass layoff.
Buffalo Bill's ends 24/7 casino operations in Primm
Just days before Poker Palace's closure was disclosed, a second Nevada casino also announced a reduction in services. Buffalo Bill's, located in Primm at the California-Nevada border, will cease round-the-clock casino operations and shift resources to the nearby Primm Valley Resort & Casino.
Operator Affinity Gaming announced that the move is part of optimizing the guest experience through centralization of activity at a single venue.
While Buffalo Bill's hotel, casino, and food services will no longer be available daily, they will reopen for concerts and special events held at the Star of the Desert Arena, which will continue to operate. Affinity Gaming has promised to unveil a full fall event schedule soon.
Affinity Gaming had already halted operations at Whiskey Pete's earlier this year, reducing the number of functioning properties in the area.
Las Vegas jobless rate remains among nation's highest
The dual casino cutbacks arrive as Las Vegas continues to grapple with elevated unemployment levels. According to June data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Las Vegas metro area reported a 5.8% unemployment rate, the third highest among large metro areas in the country.
Only Riverside and Fresno, California, posted higher figures, with Fresno topping the list at 8.5%. Las Vegas was the second-highest in May, showing limited improvement month-over-month.
Tourism in the region continues to decline. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority recorded a drop of 11.3% in visitor numbers this May compared to the same month in 2024. Convention attendance in June was also down 10.7% year-over-year.
Kevin Bagger, vice president of the authority's research division, attributed the trend to lingering economic uncertainty and reduced consumer confidence. From January through June, Las Vegas hosted approximately 19.5 million visitors, a 7.3% drop from the same period last year.
