Bestbet plans new location in St. Johns County

ST.JOHNS, Fla. — Bestbet is bringing a cardroom back to St. Johns County.

A permit was issued Thursday, July 15 for the facility which would go next to the S.R. 207 and I-95 corridor.

The development is expected to cost nearly $11 million according to county documents.

The building will be more than 40,000 square feet.

”We are in the planning and design phase to create a first-class state of the art facility,” Bestbet President Jamie Shelton said in a statement to Action News Jax. “We are proud to be part of the entertainment and tourism industries of St Johns County and look forward to continuing our positive relationship that we have had for decades.”

The new facility will not change operations at Bestbet’s exiting locations in Regency and Orange Park.

Bestbet once owned the Greyhound Track & Poker Room on Race Track Road, which was vacated in 2012. Now the cardroom license will be used for this new facility at 800 Marketplace Drive.

The building will be next to the old site of the St. Augustine Flea Market, which Baptist Health now holds the contract for.

Action News Jax reported last September when the health company announced plans to build a hospital and emergency room.

The state’s approval of the new cardroom back in September of 2020 drew opposition from Daytona Beach Kennel Club, Inc., which owns Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club.

The company challenged the decision, saying it would deteriorate revenue for its facility which is less than 50 miles away.

The challenge was denied in January.

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