Published on: October 8, 2025, 12:09h.
Updated on: October 8, 2025, 12:09h.
In a once-vibrant resort town that now resembles a ghost town after acquiring three bankrupt casinos, embracing the theme seems fitting. With this in mind, Affinity Interactive’s Primm Valley Resorts is set to relaunch Whiskey Pete’s casino for intriguing ghost tours starting October 10, just in time for Halloween celebrations.
As advertised on the attraction’s website, attendees to these tours will face a steep price ($175 per person) but will gain exclusive access to explore the eerie corridors of the deserted casino, complete with professional ghost-hunting tools and insights from Vegas Afterlife investigators.
The ghost-hunting gear includes EMF detectors, thermal cameras, and “spirit boxes.” These spirit boxes are designed to sweep radio frequencies, allowing paranormal investigators to potentially capture voices from beyond as they manipulate the sounds in real-time.
While the existence of Whiskey Pete’s ghost and his rumored companions remains up for debate, ardent fans believe that the property’s paranormal stories are validated by the paranormal series “Ghost Adventures,” which featured an episode shot at this site earlier this year.
The upcoming ghost tours cleverly leverage the only notable interest surrounding Primm in recent years—unauthorized YouTube explorations of its haunting ruins.
Primm’s Haunted Past
Once, Primm served as a hotspot for gamblers near the California-Nevada border, providing a cost-effective and grittier substitute for Las Vegas, with the added advantage of being about 50 miles closer for Southern Californians navigating traffic.
Travelers could pause their journey to revel on the towering Desperado roller coaster, gaze at the iconic Bonnie and Clyde “Death Car” at Whiskey Pete’s, or explore bargains at the nearby outlet mall while waiting for the I-15 traffic to ease.
However, about 25 years ago, Primm’s appeal began to dwindle as more tribal casinos emerged across California, which were more accessible to many Southern California gamblers and offered a better experience.
The decline was further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to Whiskey Pete’s permanent closure last December, followed by Buffalo Bill’s in July (now open only for concerts and special occasions), leaving only Primm Valley Resort & Casino operational around the clock.
Unveiling Whiskey Pete
Whiskey Pete was the moniker of Peter MacIntyre, an outlaw bootlegger who operated a Standard Oil (Chevron) station on the site of today’s casino during the 1920s and early 1930s.
While caricatured versions of Whiskey Pete graced signs around the property, the real man was known for his violent and abrasive demeanor.
A report from 1928 in the Las Vegas Review revealed tourists filed complaints to the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce regarding his aggressive behavior, including an incident where he fired shots at patrons exiting his gas station.
An article featuring McIntyre in the March 28, 1931 edition of the Las Vegas Age mentioned “Pete resents the negative image created by some in the public and media, asserting he isn’t as bad as depicted.” The article highlighted McIntyre’s release on bail for shooting a local postmaster in the shoulder.
Cementing Whiskey Pete’s legacy is the story of his burial. Allegedly, he was interred wearing his beloved 10-gallon hat, six-shooters at his side, and a bottle of his own moonshine. His coffin was purportedly buried upright, facing what was known as the Arrowhead Trails Highway, fulfilling McIntyre’s wish to “watch all those sons of bitches pass by.”
However, this story holds no truth, as we tracked down and spoke to the construction supervisor who inadvertently disturbed his grave, examined its contents, and reburied it in the same location three decades ago.