PBKC CELEBRATES 93 YEARS OF EXCITEMENT IN 2025
On Wednesday night, February 17, 1932, the Palm Beach Kennel Club introduced greyhound racing and pari-mutuel wagering to Palm Beach County. An estimated crowd of 4,000 attended the opening night and 24 mutuel windows were opened to accommodate the packed grandstands. Broom Boy won the first race returning $38.60; Dr. Harry captured the Inaugural and in one race, favorite Harley Blitz caught the mechanical lure.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club, a fan-favorite for locals and visitors, will celebrate its 93rd Birthday February 17, 2025. Throughout the years, an estimated 60 million have come through the turnstiles wagering billions of dollars. PBKC has come a long way and here are some of the highlights:
The first year, with 38 racing dates, attendance was 72,585 and the pari-mutuel handle $614,538. In 2020, there were 310 racing days, 412 live performances with $61.8 million bet on track and $134.6 million wagered on PBKC greyhounds. The Paddock Restaurant was built in 1969 offering fine cuisine and a spectacular view of the racing action. PBKC was granted year-round racing in 1987 and in 1991 simulcast wagering was introduced. In 1997, The Poker Room became the latest form of entertainment at the Kennel Club. Since that time, the Poker Room has become one of Florida’s largest Poker Room with 64 tables of action. In November 2008 Three-Card Poker became a new feature in the Poker Room. July 1, 2011, was a big day as the poker limits were lifted in terms of buy-ins for poker tournaments. In February 2011, the Poker Room made history as the first non-casino to host the World Series of Poker Circuit Events. In 2012, multiple WSOPC records were broken with 8,177 participants $3.7 million in prize money awarded and the first ever WSOPC $1 Million Guarantee. This resulted in over 2,000 hotel room nights and close to $1 million in event impact.
The O.M. Carmichael Family built the original facility, which lasted until the mid-1950’s. A group headed by Phil Bryan purchased the track from Carmichael and later sold it to a corporation headed by Bernie Griffin. John Boggiano owned the track for 18 years from 1953 to 1970 and he built the current grandstands in 1962. In 1970, Boggiano sold the track to the current owners, Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. and his five sons: Dan, Art Jr., Tim, Pat, and John. The Rooney Family has a long history in the sports and racing business, owning the six-time NFL champion – Pittsburgh Steelers, Liberty Bell (Philadelphia), Green Mountain Racetrack (Vermont), Yonkers Raceway/Empire City Casino (New York) and Palm Beach Jai Alai.
Palm Beach Kennel Club was one of the oldest and most-competitive greyhound tracks in the country and has featured some of the best racers in the history of the sport including: (1964-66) Westy Whizzer, a three-time All American Team Captain, North American Win Champ and Hall of Famer, (1970-71) Izz A Champ, 21 victories in a row, All American Captain and Rural Rube Award winner, (1988-89) He’s My Man, North American Win Champ, All American Captain and Rural Rube Award winner, (1993-94) Pat C Rendezvous, 36 consecutive victories (3/8ths Mile World Record), North American Win Champ, All American Captain, Flashy Sir and Hall of Famer, 2006-07 – Ozzie The Man, North American Win Champ, All American Captain, Rural Rube and winner of 26 races in-a-row, 2014-15 – KB’s Like A Fox, All-Time PBKC win leader with 90 victories and two-time track champion. The final day of Greyhound racing was on December 31, 2020. Earlier that month, PBKC held its largest in-house stake race, the $100,000 Legacy Grand Championship, won by Janie Carroll Kennel’s Abbi’s Frontman.
PBKC has also played a major community role in terms of economic and social contributions. Last year, PBKC averaged 425 employees with a payroll of $15 million and paid county, state and federal taxes totaling $3.9 million and $9 million went for goods and services. PBKC has donated millions to charity and scholarship organizations since 1932 and the Poker Room hosted multiple charity tournaments with over $100,000 raised in the past few years. The Rooney’s Golf Foundation, a 501c3 organization, was established in 2001 and since that time has donated $1.5 million to Palm Beach County charities. These funds are raised through the annual golf tournaments (since 2002), 5K Run/Walk (2007), poker tournament (2010), Overcomer Luncheon (2014), Armed Forces Appreciation Luncheon (2018) and Bowling Event (2018).
In 2018, Florida voters chose to end Greyhound racing in Florida with the passage of Amendment 13. The last day of racing at Palm Beach Kennel Club was on December 31, 2020, with the final race at 11:59pm, wrapping up a year of celebrating 88 years of greyhound racing memories and excitement. Heading into 2021, PBKC changed the direction of the business becoming “PBKC – Your Entertainment Destination” with Poker, Table Games, Off Track Betting, Paddock Dining and Exciting Events”. New events, poker tournaments, simulcast race celebrations, Paddock buffets, on-track festivals and sports card shows were added to give people new reasons to visit the landmark facility. Also in 2021, The Paddock Restaurant transformed into a multi-venue event center, which includes comedy shows, entertainers, business gatherings and out-of-this-world holiday buffets. The Paddock has a new refreshed look with over 140 new HD TVs, big screens and state of the art audio and visual system – making it “The Ultimate Dining, Event and Sports Experience”.
In December 2023, PBKC entered a sports betting marketing partnership with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. PBKC has been working with the Seminole Tribe and Hard Rock Bet staff to encourage sign-ups for the online sportsbook app by assisting guests at their facility in West Palm Beach and through marketing campaigns on pbkennelclub.com and through other programs.
PBKC continues the excitement in 2025 with a full line-up of fun events including Comedy and Dinner Show Nights in the Paddock Restaurant, huge horse racing events including Kentucky Derby Fest, the Moneymaker Poker Tours, Multi-Flight tournaments, Sports Card & Memorabilia Shows, holiday celebrations with Paddock buffets and much more. PBKC has added a new outside stage for live musical acts and the Poker Rooms and facility have been renovated for a more enjoyable experience.
Contact: Theresa Hume (561) 683-2222, Ext. 120 / thume@pbkennelclub.com
Revised 2/14/25
