Officials of the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room were joined by elected leaders today at a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate the coming development of the Orange City Racing & Card Club, expected to open by year’s end.
Work on the $5.6 million renovation of a former theater in the Orange City Marketplace is expected to 
begin this summer after a general contractor is selected. Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room is developing and will operate the new Orange City venue as a second location in Volusia County.
In all, seven Orange City, Volusia County and Florida state officials attended the ceremony.
“We are thankful for the great support we have received in Orange City and Volusia County as we celebrate what will be a win-win project,” said Fred Guzman, general manager of the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room. “Our parent company, the global but family-owned hospitality provider Delaware North, is eager to have the same great relationship with the Orange City community that we have had in Daytona Beach for decades.”
The renovation is expected to create 35 construction-related jobs and an economic impact of nearly $4 million during the project. The venue will have an estimated annual economic impact of $6 million once it begins operations, with 150 new jobs at an average salary of $41,000 per year. Orange City will also benefit by receiving a larger share from the state’s pari-mutuel trust fund and additional local tax revenue.
“We are excited to see a significant economic development project that can help revitalize an important commercial area in Orange City and bring additional jobs and revenue to the city at the same time,” Orange City Mayor Tom Laputka, who was unable to attend, said in a news release announcing the ceremony. “Delaware North has a solid track record in developing and operating a great facility with the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room, and this will be a similar recreation and entertainment destination bringing more people and activity to our city.”
Plans for the Orange City Racing & Card Club call for about 20,000 square feet of the former theater to be renovated to create a 33-table poker room and a 140-seat restaurant and sports bar featuring a racing simulcast center, plus a kitchen, offices and other back-of-the-house support areas. The restaurant will be housed in the current lobby space and five of the eight current theater spaces will have their floors leveled to create the other areas of the club.
In the future, the remaining 8,000 square feet in the remaining theater spaces could be adapted for – and is already approved for – alternate forms of entertainment such as a comedy club or concert venue.
“There are more than $1.1 million people within a 25-mile radius of the venue, so we believe it will be very successful in drawing new customers who have not necessarily visited our Daytona location,” Guzman said.
PHOTO CAPTION: Celebrating the ceremonial groundbreaking Friday for the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room’s new Orange City Racing & Card Club are (from left): City Manager Dale Arrington, City Councilman Tom Abraham, Vice Mayor Gary Blair, Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room President and General Manager Fred Guzman, Florida State Representative David Santiago, and City Councilman Bill Crippen.