Nevada Palace Hotel and Casino

Opened July 1979

Closed February 29, 2008

Nevada Palace opened on Boulder Highway in July 1979, a few months after nearby Sam’s Town. Despite its grand name, it was a relatively small hotel-casino. A contemporary farewell account identified casino veteran Gene Lucas and a group of Los Angeles partners behind its beginning.

Start with its history

Illustration of Nevada Palace's former casino entrance and closing marquee, adapted from a user-supplied historical photograph.

The history of Nevada Palace Hotel and Casino.

A brief history of Nevada Palace Hotel and Casino

Historical image unavailable.

Its early years were unsettled. The same account described a 1980 bankruptcy, a brief hotel closure and a longer interruption to casino operations, followed by another bankruptcy in 1983. By late 1985, Bill Wortman had become a co-owner. The property survived those changes and developed a clientele that valued its smaller scale.

In a 2006 interview, Wortman said some Nevada Palace customers felt overwhelmed by larger casinos. That observation helps explain the appeal of a modest Boulder Highway property: its size could be part of the attraction. But Wortman was also involved in the larger Cannery in North Las Vegas, and a new Cannery resort was planned beside Nevada Palace.

Cannery Casino Resorts acquired Nevada Palace’s gaming assets in September 2006 and continued operating it temporarily as construction proceeded. Company records fix its final closure at February 29, 2008. Contemporary reports describe employees preparing for work at the new Eastside Cannery, which opened that August.

The redevelopment changed the arrangement of the site. Nevada Palace’s old roadside area became front parking for Eastside Cannery, whose main building stood farther east. This was a replacement within a larger property, rather than a renovation that simply gave the old casino another name.

Eastside Cannery itself closed in 2020 and was demolished in 2026. The map for Nevada Palace therefore marks an approximate former-site vicinity at the old 5255 Boulder Highway address, close to the later frontage parking. The exact outline of its old hotel and casino has not been reconstructed here. Its pin is deliberately separate from the later Eastside building point.

Read the full history

Sources and context

Opening, early setbacks and ownership

Arnold M. Knightly,29 February 2008: July 1979 opening, Gene Lucas/Los Angeles partners,1980/1983 bankruptcies, Wortman/Schiff control late 1985; old site becoming front parking for Eastside. Relevant indexed body read; full 403. Monthprecision retained; exact 3 July opening not selected.
Why some customers preferred a small casino

Las Vegas Sun,2 February 2006, direct interview with Bill Wortman: some Nevada Palace customers overwhelmed by bigger properties; his Cannery interest and planned new resort beside old casino. Indexed passage read; full 403. Opinion attributed to operator, not universal visitor judgment.
Temporary operations and final closure

OCM Holdco 2008 Form 10 K, Eastside Cannery/Nevada Palace and 2008 Highlights: gaming assets acquired 22 September 2006; continued temporary operations; closure 29 February 2008, successor opening 28 August 2008. Relevant body read. Corporate/legal continuity distinguished from separate physical properties.
The transition to the new resort

27 August 2008 pre-opening report: oldPalace closed 29 February; workforce offered positions at other Cannery properties, many joining Eastside. Relevant indexed passage; full 403. Company filing confirms actual next-day opening.
Nevada Palace’s historic address

Nevada Magazine November–December 2005,2006 Hotel Meeting Guide row: Nevada PalaceHotel&Casino,5255 Boulder Highway. Indexed primary address row; not full guide or current contact information.
The later site and separate building area

Named/addressed Eastside site way 276981668 v 8 (9 September 2025), full geometry/history retrieved 21 October 2026. Approximate former Nevada Palace roadside vicinity 36.1076,-115.0578 lies inside site and west/outside Eastside building 279261340 v 3; old wall outline not reconstructed. Location is inferred from contemporary frontage-parking description, not surveyed exact footprint.
The later casino is also demolished

Boyd June 2026 Form 10 Q, Note 9 footnote(1): Eastside closed 18 March 2020 and imploded first quarter 2026. Separate former properties/site sequence; not evidence all later land uses are settled.

The original opening is retained at July 1979 month precision. An exact opening day has not been verified here.

The pin marks an approximate roadfront site vicinity, supported by the contemporary frontage-parking description. The original hotel/casino footprint has not been surveyed or reconstructed.

One contemporary gallery caption calls February 28 the final business day; company records and other reporting explicitly give February 29, 2008. The company’s final closure date is used.

This site through time

Replaced by Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel

August 28, 2008

Eastside Cannery replaced Nevada Palace within a larger Boulder Highway redevelopment. Construction proceeded while parts of Nevada Palace still operated; the older casino closed February 29, 2008, and its roadside area became frontage parking. Eastside opened August 28, 2008, in a new main building farther east. The former properties share a broader site, not identical walls or footprints. Eastside later closed in 2020 and was demolished in 2026.

Historical source — OCM Holdco 2008 Form 10-K, Eastside Cannery/Nevada Palace and 2008 Highlights: replacement, continued old operations, closure29February2008, new opening28August2008. Contemporary LVRJ29February2008 farewell report establishes old site became parking in front of new resort; distinct footprint. BoydJune2026 Note9 confirms later closure and implosion.

The exact original Nevada Palace footprint has not been reconstructed. Its map point is approximate roadfront vicinity, separate from the later main-building point.
Nevada Palace LLC survived as the later property’s operating-company name; this legal continuity does not establish unchanged physical buildings.

Find the place.

Nevada Palace Hotel and Casino

The map marks an approximate site. It does not identify an entrance or a walking route.

View the site on a map

Follow the evidence.

Sources, image credits and the limits of what we know.

Historical sources7 documents and records

Opening, early setbacks and ownership

Arnold M. Knightly,29 February 2008: July 1979 opening, Gene Lucas/Los Angeles partners,1980/1983 bankruptcies, Wortman/Schiff control late 1985; old site becoming front parking for Eastside. Relevant indexed body read; full 403. Monthprecision retained; exact 3 July opening not selected.
Why some customers preferred a small casino

Las Vegas Sun,2 February 2006, direct interview with Bill Wortman: some Nevada Palace customers overwhelmed by bigger properties; his Cannery interest and planned new resort beside old casino. Indexed passage read; full 403. Opinion attributed to operator, not universal visitor judgment.
Temporary operations and final closure

OCM Holdco 2008 Form 10 K, Eastside Cannery/Nevada Palace and 2008 Highlights: gaming assets acquired 22 September 2006; continued temporary operations; closure 29 February 2008, successor opening 28 August 2008. Relevant body read. Corporate/legal continuity distinguished from separate physical properties.
The transition to the new resort

27 August 2008 pre-opening report: oldPalace closed 29 February; workforce offered positions at other Cannery properties, many joining Eastside. Relevant indexed passage; full 403. Company filing confirms actual next-day opening.
Nevada Palace’s historic address

Nevada Magazine November–December 2005,2006 Hotel Meeting Guide row: Nevada PalaceHotel&Casino,5255 Boulder Highway. Indexed primary address row; not full guide or current contact information.
The later site and separate building area

Named/addressed Eastside site way 276981668 v 8 (9 September 2025), full geometry/history retrieved 21 October 2026. Approximate former Nevada Palace roadside vicinity 36.1076,-115.0578 lies inside site and west/outside Eastside building 279261340 v 3; old wall outline not reconstructed. Location is inferred from contemporary frontage-parking description, not surveyed exact footprint.
The later casino is also demolished

Boyd June 2026 Form 10 Q, Note 9 footnote(1): Eastside closed 18 March 2020 and imploded first quarter 2026. Separate former properties/site sequence; not evidence all later land uses are settled.

What remains uncertain3 notes on context and interpretation

The original opening is retained at July 1979 month precision. An exact opening day has not been verified here.
The pin marks an approximate roadfront site vicinity, supported by the contemporary frontage-parking description. The original hotel/casino footprint has not been surveyed or reconstructed.
One contemporary gallery caption calls February 28 the final business day; company records and other reporting explicitly give February 29, 2008. The company’s final closure date is used.

Image credits1 image with source information

Illustration of Nevada Palace's former casino entrance and closing marquee, adapted from a user-supplied historical photograph.

Vegas Retold AI illustration, adapted from user-supplied historical photograph; original creator unknown

Source reference: User-supplied historical photograph received 21 October 2026; URL identifies intended use, not original source.

AI illustration adapted from supplied photograph; architecture simplified, historic lettering and closing message retained.

Original creator/date/licence unknown; user requested adaptation and publication, no independent clearance claim.

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