Check out Mo Crank’s Magic City Stats on SayHiLi. com website
October 24, 2025: Be sure to check out Mo Crank’s Stat-Pack which is on his home page of the SayHiLi.com website.
His research is second to none, giving you the most complete betting information from his statistics at you could imagine. The fixed odds sports betting is exciting, fast paced and often comes down to the last point in the 3rd match. You can view the odds latest Stat-Pack below also, but be sure to check out the website that he acquired from Straymar.
He also has the Dania Beach Invitational Roster for this year, and even has the log of what years all of the players that have played since the inception in 2022.
Scott King/Sunshine City 3rd Annual Tournament January 31st– February 1st
Scott King and his Sunshine City group are hosting their 3rd annual jai-alai tournament January 31st and February 1st. That may sound like it’s a long way away, but it’s not. Now is this time to make sure you plan on attending or playing in it. The event is clearly the best event held yearly with a lot of great players attending from all over – Connecticut, N Miami, Tampa Bay/Orlando and even Spain/Magic City players. Scott knows just about everyone in jai-alai and has the connections to assemble a great group. He played pro for nearly15 years (mainly at Tampa Jai-alai) and has been an active player at Puryear for the past 13 years or so.
For full details go to this link to sign up or donate.
October 21, 2025: Out of curiosity, I went on to AI (Artificial Intelligence) to see what they say about the future of jai alai. It’s an interesting read but seems to mirror what Magic City is attempting to do now.
In an interview with Zulaica last January, Scott Savin mentioned expanding to different cities – the Battle Court Team version. That is clearly a way to make the sport succeed. It also said anyone under 40 has never heard of jai alai. That must change. AI also said jai alai will always be a niche sport but that there was room for success in the sport long term.
The Current State of JaiAlai
Here’s a summary of where jai alai stands today, which will help us assess its future prospects.
Key facts
The professional U.S. league World Jai‑Alai League (WJAL) currently operates a modified format called “Battle Court” in Miami, Florida. PR Newswire+2Sports Destination Management+2
The league has partnered with major betting/streaming platforms: for instance, Hard Rock Bet (Florida’s legal sportsbook) carries matches and wagering options for jai alai. PR Newswire+2gamingamericas.com+2
Technology and data‑feed partners are being brought in to make matches more engaging (live streaming, low‑latency data, etc.). gamingamericas.com+1
At the same time, the league is facing structural challenges. For example, there are reports that its lease at its longtime venue (Magic City Fronton) is ending, and relocation is being considered. Axios+1
Strengths
The sport has a distinct identity (“the world’s fastest ball sport”), which is eye‑catching and can be a marketing hook.
There’s niche appeal and some momentum around modernization (formats, streaming, social media) which could attract younger or more digitally‑native fans.
Gambling/wagering partnerships provide a revenue stream (or at least a potential one) that traditional sporting models might struggle to tap as effectively.
Weaknesses / Challenges
Jai alai’s mainstream popularity in the U.S. has declined significantly compared to its mid‑20th‑century heyday. Many former frontons have closed. Reddit+1
Infrastructure is limited: few venues, limited geographic spread, and so far concentrated in one region (South Florida).
The business model appears fragile: dependent on venue leases, wagering regulatory frameworks, and appealing to enough fans (both live and remote) to make things financially sustainable.
A legacy perception problem: for many, jai alai is a “nostalgic” sport rather than a fresh mainstream entertainment option.
The Future: What Could Happen
Based on the current state above, here are scenarios + key factors for jai alai’s future.
Possible Scenarios
Moderate Revival + Niche Growth
The league solidifies its format (e.g., Battle Court), increases streaming/remote access, leverages wagering, and becomes a stable (if not massive) niche sport.
Expansion might be modest: perhaps more venues, occasional international matches or exhibitions, but not mass‑mainstream.
Fan engagement might focus online, social media, young audiences with novelty appeal.
Broader Expansion
Jai alai could break through into more mainstream sports entertainment: more teams, more venues across U.S./internationally, major broadcast deals, etc.
This would require significant investment, marketing, format innovation, and perhaps ties to bigger sporting/leisure ecosystems.
The gambling/streaming model would likely remain a key part of the revenue mix.
Contraction / Localization
If revenue fails to scale (venue costs, broadcasting/streaming costs, player salaries, marketing), the sport might retreat and become highly localized (e.g., a regional entertainment offering) or niche hobby rather than a professional growth sport.
This could include fewer frontons, fewer matches, relying heavily on wagering income and less on broad fan appeal.
Key Factors That Will Determine Which Way It Goes
Venue & Lease Stability: As noted, the Miami venue lease issue is looming. If the league loses its home base without a strong replacement, this could hamper momentum. Axios
Regulation & Wagering Frameworks: Since much of the business model depends on betting/wagering, changes in regulation or weaknesses in the wagering product could make or break viability.
Streaming/Broadcast Reach: The ability to reach fans beyond those physically attending will be crucial. Partnerships with broadcasters, streaming platforms, and marketing will matter. For example, an earlier deal with ESPN expanded reach. PR Newswire
Format Appeal & Innovation: The sport must appeal to modern audiences — shorter formats, flashy presentation, interactive elements, possibly global leagues or tournaments. The shift to Glass‑walled frontons, and new formats such as “Battle Court,” are signs of this. PR Newswire+1
Cost Control & Financial Sustainability: Athlete salaries, venue operations, marketing, broadcast/streaming costs — all need to be managed. If costs outrun revenue, growth will stall.
Geographic Expansion / Diversification: If the sport remains too concentrated in one region, growth will be limited. Expansion to other states or countries could open up new markets.
Fan Base Growth: At the end of the day, fan interest (attendance, viewership, social engagement) must grow. Without that, the sport may stay niche.
Cultural Relevance & Branding: The sport needs to be able to brand itself effectively — for example, emphasizing the speed, novelty, heritage, and showing excitement to younger viewers.
My Best Guess
Given what I see, I lean toward the “Moderate Revival + Niche Growth” scenario as the most likely over the next 5–10 years. In other words:
Jai alai will survive (in the U.S., perhaps mostly in Florida) and perhaps stabilize.
It may gain somewhat wider streaming / digital audience thanks to betting/streaming synergy.
But I don’t expect a massive explosion into the mainstream like major team‑sports leagues (e.g., NBA, NFL) anytime soon.
If venue/lease issues, regulatory changes, or costs become problematic, then contraction becomes more likely.
Considerations for Stakeholders
For Fans: If you’re interested in jai alai, this is a good time to engage — streaming options, novelty formats, and perhaps good value for experiencing something different.
For Investors or Operators: Focus early on digital/streaming reach, unique formats, venue cost control, and build community/fan engagement rather than purely venue attendance.
For Players and Athletes: Stability will matter — if the league can offer consistent seasons, broadcast exposure, decent compensation, then it may attract talent; otherwise it might remain a bit volatile.
For Local Economies/Venues: Frontons might serve as more than just sports venues — possibly entertainment hubs (live events, music, mixed uses) to diversify revenue.
New Pelota in Play for the “Chopped Liver League”?
A new pelota may be in play for the “Chopped Liver League” at America’s only public court in St. Petersburg.
For our hundreds of readers outside of the Tamp Bay Area, you may be asking what the hell is the “Chopped Liver League”? It’s a group of players that come out there every day outside of the Wednesday night gang that have their own group. However, a couple of those players like ex-pros Scott King and Garby do play regularly with the “Chopped Liver” gang.
Last Thursday evening I accidently pulled out a pelota of my bag to begin play with that Arra I had given me while were participating in the Magic City Tournament. We had for the past two months just thrown it around for quick practice if someone was retrieving the pelota going out of the cancha. Play went on without anyone saying anything with a group of 8 players, including former Dania pro and Puryear Park alumni Rocco. After about ten minutes of play I realized we were playing with the Magic City ball and announced it. After a few minutes of debate, we decided to continue playing with it.
Hours after the 2.5-hour performance, all 8 players seem to be in agreement. They liked the Magic City ball over the Matt Ball.
Ever since I visited Matt’s court in 2010 and brought back a few balls, we have been using the Matt ball exclusively. Before that, dating to the 1970s we had been using the lacrosse ball. Anyone that has played with that ball will know what I’m talking about. It sucked. More like a super ball that took horrible bounces of the ground and side walls. Try using one today and you will say “oh my God! We played with that ball for decades?!”
Here’s the review of the players that night………
Seminole King
Its more good that bad, good for front court shots back court passing but because is so light it does tend to bounce out of the cesta or roll around so people with control issues are going to become more prone to throw wild shots.
….Which is good for keeping caroms on the court
But the ball is lighter so if you get hit doesn’t pack the same punch. I did get hit twice.
Alex
I like it
Tiny bit smaller and lighter but much better on the arm when throwing
I would not mine playing with it anytime
Buy more from Scott at Magic city before they move to Miami court
Much better for shots
Need to make slight adjustments but worth it.
I like it better. Great on the arm
Slows down a bit after it hits the side wall and back wall but picas well and live off the front wall
Yes better ball all around! My arms feels amazing
Ask Arra where they buy the ball?
Rocco
Love love love. EXCELLENT.
When I threw the ball the rebotes came out plenty far lol.
Magic Mike
I think the ball if fine and nice and lightweight. Some rebotes don’t come out that far but that is like at magic city and can be gotten used to. Better control on caroms even thought mine did go off court a couple times.
Rule
I liked it….Much more life
Rick B
The ball dies out when it hits the side wall…..which is good thing (caroms)
The ball doesn’t stick in your basket the same because of the weight
Echeva
I’m not playing much, but I liked it – closer in size and weight to a real pelota.
Laca
I thought Echeva, the co-founder of Puryear Park in the 1980s, made the best comment.
I had my shipping manager at my company weigh a bunch of balls. Two of them were Matt Gen 2 balls – the old green ones which are still fast. One had a lot of tape on it – which is a big factor to consider in the balls. The Magic City ball actually has two types of tape wrapped around it. One if red and the outer layer is white. The reason they put red on first is to see the if any of the white tape has come off.
The hard plastic ball is the N. Miami ball. The tan ball is the dead batch of balls I got from Matt and I still have about 80 of them. A real pelota is also included for great reference.
Right now, we have been using the Matt 151 ball – a ball that weighs 151 grams. Mark Burler weighted one at 153 today. The amount of tape on the ball makes a big difference. The Matt 151 is the fastest and heaviest ball ever used. I like it, but after playing Thursday evening with the Magic City ball – not one player complained about a sore arm the next day. I just played Saturday with my Matt green ball, and my arm is tired. A couple others echoed that.
I think for the near perfect size and weight and the general way the ball plays, this is a solid option.
Weight (OZ)
Weight (Grams)
Diameter (CM)
Diameter (Inch)
Matt Ball w/ extra tape
5.4
153.4
6.55
2.58
Matt Ball w/ very little tape
5.25
149
6.5
2.56
Magic City Ball
4.66
132.2
6.25
2.46
Hard Plastic Ball
4.17
118.2
6.4
2.52
Tan Ball w/ No tape
4.48
127.2
6.3
2.48
Real Pelota
4.3
121.8
6.4
2.52
What’s the Future?
This of course revolves around availability of the ball. When the current Magic City season wraps it up in the middle of December, they will have a lot of balls that are dead to them. There is little chance they will work on the new court a couple miles away that will have a front and side wall of the original fronton made of 18” thick granite wall and is 99 years old. The back wall is going to be glass and has been under construction in Spain.
To be far, I think we need the other players to try it before any decision of a change is made. There is no way to make 30-35 players we have all agree to the same thing. And I strongly suggest we do not switch balls in a performance. It’s one or the other. You won’t get the full effect unless you play a few hours with just the one ball before making an opinion.
Behind the Scenes of Trip to Magic City and Dania Jai-alai Last Month
Here is a bunch of photos taken from last months event at Magic City Jai-alai and a special trip to play on the Dania cancha.
Special thanks to Scott Savin and company for putting on a great event and we look forward to next years event at the Home of Jai-alai – Miami Jai-alal Casino!
Also special thanks to Benny B. for allowing our group to play on the Dania cancha for the first time ever.
If you see the Stanley Cup in the photos– that is the real McCoy! I was sitting at legendary Jaxson’s having a hot dog, when a group of buzzed people came wondering in off a bus. In their possession was The Stanley Cup. Looking for a spot to put it, I gave up my booth as I had just checked out, and they sat it right down there on the table. The Florida Panthers are two-time defending NHL Champions. The State of Florida has been winning custody of the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning with it two consecutive years earlier this decade.
One year ago, the JLaca Museum was Destroyed by Hurricane Helene
September 26, 2025: Seminole FL: Exactly one year ago, Hurricane Helene and its powerful 4-5 rating went north past Tampa Bay around 120 miles to the west of it, landing near Perry, Florida in the panhandle. The winds weren’t too bad in the Tampa Bay area, but the flooding was afterwards. Manu beach communities were clobbered with 4-5 feet of water in their buildings. That included the JLaca museum that was built inside a 17-car garage in a flood zone.
On three separate occasions, the museum was emptied out with storm surge threats, all to no avail. This time, the storm missed us as usual – but the backflow brought in a storm surge not seen in over 100 years. It caught everyone off guard, causing billions in damage. Thousands are still homeless and many businesses like motels, beach bars and restaurants were destroyed forever.
The museum lost everything in the glass displays and everything under 4 feet was ruined – including the jai alai pinball machine.
You can see the way the how the museum looked like if you weren’t one of the 700 plus visitors that came to see it. Baseball Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff were among them by clicking below.
Hard Rock Florida Angering Betters with Limits & Late Postings
September 17, 2025: Lots of Florida Jai-alai betters are angry at the “hard” cap being imposed online by the Hard Rock Casino. And not knowing until just a few hours what the odds are and being able to bet.
As the second week of the Magic City Fall season of ja-alai fixed odds betting, customers are shocked to see the amount of money they can bet on certain games and parleys. Some are experiencing a limit they can bet a game, and some are getting cut off from even betting a single dollar on additional jai-alai games. It is not uncommon to see your limit choked at $5 or even being locked out once you have bet a certain amount of money on the performance.
Apparently, these betters are doing well, or this action would not be happening.
Let’s face it. Casinos don’t like to lose money. If you win money at something, they are going to stop you somehow or another.
If you watched the movie “21” that came out several years ago, you will recall scenes where the casinos will take you down to the basement and beat the living shit out of you. All over card counting. I doubt that goes on today or did back when a professor from MIT and several students figured out how to beat the casino in the late 70s and were wildly successful in the 80s. Those were smart kids.
But they will ask you to leave the building or ban you from playing blackjack again. It does not seem fair – it is an even playing field. And nobody is cheating. Its fair game. But in every casino in the world – except for Atlantic City – the casino has the right to stop you from playing, take away your chips and ban you for life. Casinos practically have their own police department. And if on Tribal property, like the Hard Rock in Florida, they make all the rules and police them.
So, I guess the Hard Rock can limit anyone on how much they bet – even in sports betting.
I remember this went on last year and I had heard that it was illegal.
Another shenanigan game they may be playing is waiting until the last few hours to post the odds online to bet. The 5pm performance may not even be available to review until just a few hours before it starts. This really hinders betters from handicapping their choices and even more importantly parley bets, which can often spread into the next day. The other betting sites like Betrivers and Draft Kings don’t appear to be playing that game, even though some of them are not always up in a timely matter. Not sure if this is the fault of Magic City Jai-alai or the casinos, but I have a good idea.
Like I said, casinos don’t like to lose money. Period.
Longtime season ticket holder Bronwyn Doyle, the wife of current Puryear Park player Gary “Cachin 47” Doyle, barely survived of what would have been a very painful experience and a trip to the hospital with serious injuries.
Season ticket holders have the option to sit on a bench behind the screen fence (basically where the players cage would be, sit in your own chair anywhere alongside the court outside the fence, or sit inside the cancha with extreme caution.
Players were using the Matt 165G ball, the latest version of the Connecticut Amateur pelota. It is the fastest and heaviest ball they have used in Berlin Connecticut for the past 16 years and plays much faster on the St. Pete Cancha than ever before.
Mrs. Cachin was sitting at about the 10 line in a beach chair with their little doggie, splitting her time reading something on her phone or watching her husband play.
Near the end of the Sunday performance, Alex threw a remate that caromed off the side wall, hit the front wall, and out of the reach of Rastock in the front. The pelota was heading right at Bronwyn’s head. Everyone yelled “Watch it!!!”. With less than a split second of notice, she looked up, saw the pelota heading right at her face as a Hurricane 5. She quickly raised her phone up right in front of her head – blocking the near 100 mph “rock” from nailing her. The ball had a direct hit in the middle of her iPhone.
As you can see from the photos, the ball left a perfect tape mark on it from the direct hit. She also suffered an “injury” that fortunately caused no pain. She lost her nail. And yes, it was from her Middle Finger. The ball broke off her middle fingernail and left a tape mark on the phone with no other damage. The ball is 2.25” in diameter.
Without her quick reflexes, this story would not have had a happy ending. The Doyle’s attorney declined to file charges against Alex for the nail repair, citing the wording on the back of her ticket – “Not responsible for injuries incurred from a thrown pelota while inside the cancha!”.
September 15, 2025: If you Goggle “Tigers Jai alai”, one of the first things you will see is a story I wrote awhile back about how slow Tigers Chalk Talk site had been doing. “Tigers Site All but Dead” were some of the key words.
But now, it has picked up considerably in postings. Take the “Erik vs. “Aritz” debate which has had dozens of replies from fellow jai-alai fans – including Erik himself.
The reason for the uptick is that no passwords or registration are required. Tiger has done this in the past when things got slow, but someone always had to jump in and cross the line, as we can say.
So far , things have been under control from what I can see. In the past, one would check the site out multiple times a day. But lately, ,one could go days without even bothering to check on the site. By dropping the registration requirement a couple months ago, the postings have picked up dramatically.
Tigers site has been going strong for over 20 years now.
Let’s hope it can continue without any shenanigans out there messing it up!
Miami: September 11, 2025: Last Friday at the Magic City Casino, about 56 amateur and former players participated in the USNJAC event – United States National Jai Alai Championship. The event is open to any amateur player or former pros who have not played pro since January 1, 2021 and are 50 years old or more. Winners can walk home with some good chump change.
One of those regular winners over the past few years was James Langhams, the father of current Magic City star players Douglas and Benny. He also played pro himself for many years at Bridgeport and Milford and a couple more in Florida. It would be safe to say he would rank as a Top 3 seeded player. I’ve marveled his court savvy and intelligence on the cancha. His quick wrist can snap the ball as fast as anyone and clearly gave the genes to two of the best American players to come around here in a long time. I was fortunate enough to supply him with pelota’s when he contacted me several years ago in North Carlina. I had no idea it was for training his son Douglas, then an injured high school pitcher. I was wondering, who the hell plays jai-alai in North Carolina and where?
His paired opponent was “Magic Mike” aka Mike Berry. A lifetime jai-alai fan, Mike has been an amateur player for decades, playing at Tampa jai-alai and Orlando. He was also the computer consultant for Tampa Jai-alai and operates a computer repair shop in St. Petersburg and helps me on the posting on the Pelota Press. He’s been a pesky player – and anybody that has seen him knows it. He can rebote with the best of them, but rarely gets the ball past the 6 line, putting his team on the defense all the time. His soft throws have irritated players over the years especially the ones just reaching the wall. Former Tampa and Miami superstar player Daniel called him “Mickalenia” – a nod to the former player at Miami. Mike would certainly rank in the bottom 3 players (along with myself).
But when players entered the fronton at 9am to check the pairings for the first round in Singles, the image of “Douglas” vs. “Magic Mike” was the mismatch of the century. There was no way Magic Mike could win. Danny Sheriden had the odds at 2,000 to 1. Draft Kings wouldn’t take bets. Hard Rock pulled their banner down before the doors opened. We’ve seen Douglas walk out of fronton with 6-foot-long checks signed by Scott Savin before. We’ve also seen Mike riding back home in the back seat without two dimes to rub together. Some of our own players left for lunch as the event took place around 12 noon. Nobody wanted to bear the ass whipping it seemed. Sort of like me at a Yankees 1970s baseball game when Gene Michael would come to bat followed by the pitcher. A good time to get a hot dog.
Players around me gave the over/under of 1 point for Mike. Certainly not 2 points, or 3 for that matter.
For years, my good buddy Rick B has argued that “any player can beat any other player at any time”. I told him several times that he was full of shit….like I’m going out there on the court and beating a player with the caliber of an Anthony or Rastock with all the marbles on the line. Have another toke, Zoltar!
Boy, was I wrong. Mike went out there and built a 5-2 lead with some great catches and returns, before winning the event 6-5 on game point with a crafty long dejada from the 12 line that Douglas barely got to but it was stuck by the wall and could not make the return fully and hit the lower pad. The last time God created a miracle was in the movie “Oh God” when (played by George Burns) told a supermarket manager (played by John Denver) he created the 1969 New York Mets miracle World Championship. Well, he just created another one. A special thanks to James for taking this in stride. Even he admitted before the game he thought something like this could happen.
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