Copyright The Street
Gaming remains Nevada’s single-largest revenue driver. While gambling remains core, non-gaming amenities — restaurants, concerts, sports, and entertainment — now account for roughly half of resort revenue. Las Vegas has evolved into a professional sports hub, with an NHL team, an NFL team and a MLB team coming soon, plus major events like Formula 1 racing. Gaming remains Nevada’s single-largest revenue driver. The state recorded more than $15.6 billion in gaming revenue in 2024, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board and American Gaming. Yet casinos beyond the Strip are increasingly struggling with a drop in visitors, more Las Vegas Strip competition, and land-use realities. Boyd Gaming Corp. is the latest major operator to respond, announcing plans to demolish the long-closed Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotel on Boulder Highway and pursue residential redevelopment of the site. Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotels joins a growing list of casinos that have shuttered in less than two years: April 2, 2024: Tropicana Las Vegas, an iconic Las Vegas Strip resort that opened in 1957, closed permanently. Source: AP July 17, 2024: The Mirage Las Vegas Strip mega‑resort shuttered ahead of major redevelopment. Source: gambling.com July 7, 2025: Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino Primm (near the CA/NV border) closed after declining business on the edge of the market. Source: vegasadvantage.com October 1, 2025: Poker Palace Casino, North Las Vegas, a more than 50-year‑old local casino, closed. Source: TheStreet Locals resort gives way to land-value calculus Eastside Cannery opened in August 2008 with a 16‑story hotel tower and roughly 64,876 square feet of casino space. It closed on March 17, 2020, when Nevada casinos shut down due to Covid, and never reopened. “It has been more than five years since we closed Eastside Cannery, and there is not sufficient market demand to reopen the facility,” Boyd Gaming spokesman David Strow said in a statement to The Nevada Independent. “Given this, we are finalizing plans to demolish the building.” The company added that it is “… currently in discussions to sell the site for residential use.” Why Boyd Gaming closed Eastside Cannery Maintaining the dormant resort has become too costly, with monthly expenses (utilities, security, IT systems) reportedly exceeding $500,000, as reported by Global Gaming Business News. Properties located off the Las Vegas Strip have always had to compete with their more glamorous neighbors, but in recent years, the competition has gotten even tougher. Music residencies and sporting events, held at venues on the Strip or just adjacent to it, make it harder to attract people away to the smaller casinos, even if they offer free parking and more affordable restaurants. Boyd’s decision reflects that reality, seeing greater economic value in converting the land rather than reopening the casino. Other operators, such as Red Rock Resorts, have already demolished off-Strip properties, including Fiesta Rancho and Texas Station, repurposing the parcels for retail or mixed-use projects. What the closure means for Boyd Gaming and Las Vegas For Boyd Gaming, demolishing Eastside Cannery frees capital and management focus for higher-performing poperties. For Las Vegas, the move signals that the off-Strip corridor may increasingly shift from gaming to residential or mixed-use development, reflecting structural market change. Clark County issued a $7.5 million demolition permit in mid-October, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Boyd is actively planning demolition and negotiating a sale, as reported by News3 LV. A few unanswered questions remain surrounding the decision: What type of residential development will replace the Eastside Cannery site? How will it integrate with neighborhood infrastructure and traffic? What happens to the casino license and associated entitlements? The Eastside Cannery demolition suggests some off-Strip gaming resorts can’t justify continued operation when visitor demand softens. That leaves operators to evaluate their assets for highest-and-best use, even if it means razing the property entirely.
