Hard luck in Mesquite, Nev.

The Salvation Army holds a food and gift giveaway before Christmas at the Mesquite Star casino, which has been shut down.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Much of the Oasis resort has been shutttered. In December, 347 workers were laid off, leaving a nearly empty casino.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

At the Eureka, gamblers play the slots. In boom times, nearly 1 million visitors a year passed through Mesquite, Nev., and its casinos.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Randy Black owns all but one Mesquite casino. Before he arrived in town, Mesquite was barely more than a cluster of dairy farms and alfalfa fields along the Virgin River.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Social worker Alex Corral, left, helps a family apply for unemployment benefits at the Virgin Valley Family Services. “Right now, with the Oasis shut down, it’s really hard to decide if anything’s going to come here,” he said. “There’s no money coming into town at all.”  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Victor Kotalion, in his home in Mesquite, Nev., was a dealer and floor supervisor at the Oasis. He was one of the 347 workers laid off.

“As you get older, what do you do?” Kotalion said. “There aren’t a lot of options here... not for me. Actually, not for anybody that’s in the gaming industry.”  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Construction of new homes has temporarily halted in Mesquite, Nev.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The western-themed Mesquite Star stands shuttered and empty just off Interstate 15 in Mesquite, Nev.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)