Former dog track reinvents itself, focused on poker

A voter-approved amendment forced Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track owners to change strategies. With a $10 million project, and possibly more to come, their sights are set on more card shuffling.

By Beth Luberecki
| 6:00 a.m. November 19, 2020
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Courtesy/Giovanni Photography. Tom Jones withÂ WDG Architecture, which designed the Bonita Springs Poker Room, says the building has a â€œcasual modern takeâ€ and can be a catalyst of other developmentâ€on Bonita Beach Road.

Development

Izzy Havenick is reluctant to use the phrase “perfect storm.” But a number of compelling factors did converge to bring about the new Bonita Springs Poker Room.

'The truth of the matter is that with dog racing ending, we needed to reinvent ourselves anyways.’ Izzy Havenick, Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track

The big one? The Florida constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018 that prohibits wagering on live dog races and bans dog races in Florida on which there is wagering. Havenick’s family has owned the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs for four decades, and the amendment’s ban that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2021, meant that things had to change. Several other tracks in the region face similar reckonings, including the Sarasota Kennel Club and Derby Lane in St. Petersburg.