The Future of Bridgeport Jai-alai Location

The Future of Bridgeport Jai-alai Location

I remember it like yesterday.  It’s been almost 50 years ago.  It was my first trip to Bridgeport Jai-alai on their grand opening night.  Got off Exit 28 – a short drive from Greenfield Hills in Fairfield.  Then a left and another left.  I already had 3 years of experience going to Tampa, Orlando, Daytona, Miami, and Dania jai-alai.

I felt like I was the only one in there that knew the game.  When I went up to the betting window, I was the only one there.  It’s all on video and you can view it on this website under “History of Jai-alai”.  I bet $2 on 1 to win.  I was going to keep it no matter what – win or lose.

Earl “The Pearl” Monroe threw out the first pelota.  I watched the NBA back then, and that guy was good.  No one like him.  What a thrill.       

The first few games the crowd was quiet.  By the end of the year, the place was packed with nearly 9,000 people filling the double deck fronton.  The noise was deafening.  And that crowd was rough.  A dropped ball with someone losing out on a $1,000 plus trifecta and they would not be happy.  The bets cost $3 on Trifecta’s, and the pools were huge.  Always paid four figures – it seemed.     Bridgeport was a dangerous city – perhaps the worst in the country.  Bankruptcy would be later filed.  The area was full of prostitutes and drug dealers.  Parking inside their fenced area and you were safe.  Outside was risky but on nights when you had to park on the streets, I never had an issue.  

Over the years after jai-alai closed, it was a dog track (stupid) , and industrial operations and then most recently an off-track betting parlor.  That shut down in 2021.  The 16 plus acre site was recently appraised by Bridgeport at $4.7 million.  In March of 2022, a limited liability corporation bought the property.   They want to build a $1.1 Billion-dollar minor league soccer stadium on the site.  Plans have been stalled over the past two years for a variety of reasons.

Sounds like a lot of money to me for a minor league soccer stadium in Connecticut largest city.  But one thing is for sure, jai-alai will never return there.