LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When driving down Boulder Highway, you can't miss the line of casinos, especially the Eastside Cannery.
It's been closed since the pandemic, but this week, there's a renewed hope it'll reopen.
"I used to go when it was Nevada Palace, so I've been here for a pretty good bit of time, watching them build it. The first day it was open, we were there," said Jesse Woods, who lives off of Boulder Highway.
Woods, like many others who live off of Boulder Highway, said Eastside Cannery is a longstanding piece of the community.
The hotel and casino opened in 2008 in the same spot Nevada Palace used to stand from 1979 until it closed its doors and became the Eastside Cannery.
Since former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered casinos to close their doors in 2020 during the pandemic, Eastside Cannery hasn't reopened.
"I hate seeing businesses, local, close," Woods said.
Tuesday, the Clark County Commissioners unanimously approved an extension for Eastside Cannery to keep its gaming license for at least the next two years.
"If they had not asked for that extension, then I think that would be a bit more troublesome," said UNLV College of Hospitality Assistant Professor Amanda Belarmino.
Belarmino said it's the same extension granted to the Tropicana and Moulin Rouge and is expected to be given to the Mirage when it closes its doors mid-July to transition into the Hard Rock.
An extension lets a casino keep their license even though games are not being played.
The future of the Eastside Cannery is still up in the air though.
In an extension request letter delivered to County Commissioners, the casino's owners Boyd Gaming said they're spending half a million a month to keep the property well-maintained and safe.
Plus, they explained they need more time to determine what they want to do. Boyd Gaming cited staffing shortages across its valley properties, and says it would take at least six months to hire the staff to run this property.
Boyd Gaming Eastside Cannery Temporary Closure Requesst Final 040124 by yolanda.cruz on Scribd
Belarmino said the pandemic impacted the hospitality industry greatly and the effects continue today.
"I think a lot of people, you know, they had to go find other jobs, so they did and they didn't return to what they left behind," Belarmino said.
The Eastside Cannery will have at least two years and at most three years to keep its gaming license before having to request another extension.
