Palm Beach Kennel Club Cleared for New $20M Poker Room and OTB Facility

Posted on: December 23, 2024, 11:33h. 

Last updated on: December 23, 2024, 11:33h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The historic Palm Beach Kennel Club is closing its original doors and greyhound racetrack that first opened in 1932. The club’s story is not finished, however, as it will continue in a new facility set to begin construction next year.

Earlier this month, the Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a redevelopment and zoning application from the Palm Beach Kennel Club (PBKC). The signoff allows the former greyhound racing and poker room operator to relocate from its current home along Belvedere Rd. and Congress Ave. to the north end of its more than 47-acre property.

PBKC plans to invest $20 million to construct a 65K-square-foot casino and kennel at Congress Ave. and Cherry Rd. The gaming floor will include a poker room and off-track betting (OTB), plus space for the racetrack’s longtime restaurant, The Paddock. The on-site kennel will occupy 5,200 square feet.

Luxury High-Rise Incoming

The Palm Beach Kennel Club is moving to sell 42 acres of the property to a real estate development firm that plans to build a high-rise luxury condominium building. The structure, if approved by the county board, would include 2K residencies and mixed-use space.

The relocation of the existing indoor entertainment and parimutuel operations to the northern five acres is necessary in order to pave the way for the future redevelopment of the southern 42.1 acres, which will serve as a significant catalyst for the redevelopment along the Congress Avenue corridor,” PBKC’s application read.

The location is prime, as the current entrance to the PBGC where the luxury high-rise will stand is directly adjacent to Palm Beach International. The airport facilitated almost eight million passengers last year, with its busiest routes being Atlanta, NYC, Charlotte, and Boston.

Palm Beach Kennel Club reps told county officials that they expect to open the new casino and kennel by 2027. It will operate 24 hours a day.

Along with the casino and kennel, the $20 million investment includes a four-story parking garage with 900 spaces.

The PBKC “casino” is actually a cardroom that can only offer non-house-banked poker-based table games. The casino cannot offer slot machines, as the property is not in Miami-Dade or Broward counties.

In Florida, the Seminoles maintain a monopoly on sports betting. In-person sportsbooks are available at the tribe’s six brick-and-mortar Hard Rock and Seminole-branded casinos. Online wagering is available across the state through the Hard Rock Bet online sportsbook app and website.

Rooney Racecourses 

The Rooney family has owned the Palm Beach Kennel Club since 1972. The family, based in Pittsburgh that owns the NFL Steelers, has for many decades been invested in horse and greyhound racing.

In Florida, the Rooneys remain optimistic about the Palm Beach Kennel Club despite Floridians in 2018 voting to ban greyhound racing. During the cardroom’s 2024 fiscal year, the house generated revenue of $16.3 million from operating its poker games. Only two other cardrooms in Florida reported higher revenue.