St. Petersburg/December 24, 2025: Renovations have been ongoing at Puryear Park, but not actually inside the cancha itself. The exterior walls of the jai-alai court have been repainted with a fresh coat of Evergreen paint. Patching was also done on the walls and on the flooring surface where major holes had been developing. The outside of the court looks brand new and looks great.
If you have ever come to the court and try to play or just visit on Saturday mornings, you likely experienced a major parking issue. With anywhere from 12-16 jai-alai players showing up along with a half dozen or so of our season ticket holders, along with hundreds of soccer players with parents and friends showing up on the two soccer fields that make up part of Puryear Park, nearby parking can be troublesome.
As we reported several months ago, the house nearest the park, and adjacent to the parking lot behind our court, was going to be torn done and paved for much needed additional parking. The house had been flooded in the hurricane that made landfall 165 miles away. The owners had balked at selling the house to the city until he realized that the value of the house had fallen over 25% due to damage and decided it was time to move on. The permitting and environmental process had been going on for the past several months. The house was torn down and contents removed in a one-day period a couple of weeks ago.
It is unknown how many extra parking spaces will be available to the public at this time.
December 16, 2025: Magic City Jai-alai will have a new name, a new home, and an entirely new look when play resumes Tuesday, February 10th.
The World Jai-alai is moving two miles north to the original home of Miami Jai-alai, which outside of a few Don King Boxing Matches, has sat dormant for the past few years. The original home of Jai-alai in the United States (not counting the one that got blown away in a hurricane) will turn 100 years old soon, joining Dick Van Dyke to the centennial club.
This will have an entire new look – with a court inside of a court. A glass back wall has been installed to shorten the cancha to standard World Jai-alai League measurements to 126 feet with its placement around the serving area. The Magic City court was 120 feet long, so this new court will be 6 feet longer than before. Overhead netting has also been installed. Extensive testing for the new ball to be used is ongoing. There has been no decision as to what ball will be used, but for one thing, the real goatskin pelota is out. Right now, it is a toss up between the current ball being used and the ball that was used at Calder Jai-alai. But other balls remain in play. The current Magic City ball makes no noise coming off the granite wall, and that is problem. Another option gaining traction is a revised version of the real pelota by removing the goatskin and wrapping it with the same white tape that had been done at Magic City and at Matt’s court in Connecticut as well as Puryear Park in St. Pete.
The building will be called the JAM ARENA – short for Miami Jai-alai. And jai-alai won’t be the only offering. Concerts, comedy shows, various sporting activities of some sort will take place in addition.
There will be 1,500 seats, many of them recovered, a new refurbished terrace and bar area with a redesigned entryway connecting to the casino. For the past few years, this area has been as secluded and off-limits like the way Dr. Zaius kept everyone away from the “Forbidden Zone” area that had remains of the Statue of Liberty in the classic movie “Planet of the Apes”.
We have no idea how long the lease is but given the millions of dollars likely sunk into this project, I’m sure it will be at least 3-5 years of jai-alai there. Scott Savin is determined to make this work. Plans have included expansion to other states and even having girl players involved.
December 15, 2025:Miami: Jai alai at Magic City is now officially over, with the Cyclones taking the championship with a 4-1 win over the Devils Friday night in Miami. At 9:34pm, Inaki & Manu deposed of Etcheberry & Nichloas in the 3rd set 6-1 to prevent a game 6 from taking place. The cancha was covered with champagne by then. It was the first time when won the championship since the very first one was held – in the Spring of 2022.
A packed house was there to witness the exciting event as $200K goes to the winning team owner and the players get a reportedly $6K bonus apiece.
This was the 4th season of Battle Court action what will resume next February, two miles up the road at the original Miami Jai alai fronton.
Last weekend, within a 16-hour period, I was able to view full performances at the two remaining jai alai frontons in the United States. Yes, it’s a far cry from the nearly twenty frontons that were active at some point of the year in the late 70s to early 80s. Millions of people visited the frontons for basically the only way to legally gamble. Casinos were only allowed in Nevada and then in 1978, Atlantic City. Some state lotteries consisted of scratch offs if they had anything resembling a lottery. Only four states were offering jai alai – Florida, Connecticut. Rhode Island and Neveda. Today, over 40 years later, the gambling options has exploded. Casinos are now operating in 44 states. The lottery is now in 45 states with national ones offering hundreds of millions of dollars to the winner.
Jai alai today is only in one state – Florida – with frontons located in Dania and Miami just 23 miles apart of one another. And the two are quite a contrast of one another, to say the least. Being able to visit the two of them with complete performances within a 16-hour period was a pleasure to watch. I’m going to break down the two frontons with the good, the bad and the ugly. Do note, that Magic City is hosting its last performance this Friday night, before moving north a couple of miles to the original jai alai fronton in America – now called Miami Casino.
Dania Jai-alai
Last Thursday night was Opening Night for their 4 -month tournament comprised of young Basque and French players. The place was fairly crowed with about 200 people in attendance and that included dozens of former pro players and a handful of current Magic City players.
The Good
The quality of play was phenomenal was a treat to watch. I’ve attended opening day every year of this event, and this was clearly the best group of players I’ve seen play there. Kudos to Benny B for putting a great lineup together.
The Bad
One thing that did shock me was that there were no player introductions of the roster at the beginning like in the past. No parade – no nothing. Game one started right after that god awful version of the national anthem. You would have had no idea of it being Opening Day, and several players making their pro debut were not acknowledged. On top of that, the scoreboard went dark after the first point or two, leaving betters clueless of how many points your team(s) had. To make matters worse, you could barely hear a word out of the announcer’s booth. It’s still a mumbled tone-deaf sound system. With only 400 seats vs the 6,500 it used to have shouldn’t be an issue! Perhaps you would have been OK if there were 20 people in the building and not 200. Dave Lamont is a great announcer with a great voice, but why have him announce if you can’t hear him?
There was no mention on the home page of the Dania Casino website that jai-alai was being held, which is troublesome to say the least. I didn’t notice any marquee sign anywhere outside the building mention jai alai being held either. Not one word of it being Opening Night on the program either. There were 200 diehard fans in the fronton – about triple what was in the entire casino.
Magic City Jai-alai
The Good and the Bad
When I first entered Magic City Friday afternoon after watching Dania only hours earlier on Thursday night, I was in shock. Yes, I’ve been to Magic City Jai-alai before, played there in the tournament September 5th and have been to Dania Jaia-alai hundreds of times since 1976. I had sticker stock. The court is almost 60 feet shorter than Dania, and the sound of the ball hitting the front wall sounded like a prisoner pounding on rocks with a pickaxe. Yes, envision Paul Newman and George Kennedy in “Cool Hand Luke”. It’s that horrible sound I can’t stand. There is nothing like the sound of the goat skin pelota hitting a wall comprised of a foot thick or more of granite. But that opinion quickly evaporated as the night went along.
Luckily, this will sound of pelota hitting the front wall will drastically change as they move a couple miles north and will be throwing against a granite wall that will be 100- years old! Unbelievable. The court will still have a glass back wall, but this allows for great viewing of the court and video angles that make viewing on TV or your phone a huge advantage. The shorter court does not bother me – it does allow for fast action and some great non-stop catches off the side wall. As someone recently posted on Tigers site, this is the case especially watching the division 1 and 2 players go at it. Manu makes it look so easy you almost expect a great catch every time. Watching Urrutia serve is something else. The ball is moving so fast, one can barely sese it. Even Benny got plunked in the belt with a serve Friday night.
The crowd was totally different than in attendance at Dania the night before. The crowd of about 70 was festive with music in between points and cheerleaders dancing between games. Spectators were given nice big 14-page color programs on top of it. Team owners were all there, including former NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.
I’m confident the new fronton and layout will be ideal. Management is testing the new court and experimenting with other balls to find the right pelota to use. We’re using the Magic City ball now at Puryear Park and most of the players like it. It is the same weight as the real pelota and roughly the same size. Perhaps the goatskin ball may come into play at the new venue? Of course,, the concern is cracking the glass back ball, but that is taking a lot less force than a Unda bomb or an Urrutia serve. I did have a long talk with Arra I and forgot to ask him about that in between performances Friday. The horrible sound of the ball hitting the glass wall will be gone and I see an opportunity for more kill shots. The ceiling should be higher too, which will be a big factor.
The fixed odds sports-like betting is a game changer. Using the Hard Rock app on your phone is easy and convenient. Your involved in EVERY point of the game, a big positive.
Who’s Better?
So, who’s better – Dania or Magic City? This is like asking who’s better – Joey or Bolivar? Flip a coin. But, perhaps this summaries it:
Viewing wise – Dania
Betting wise – Magic City
I enjoyed both and I’m really looking forward to next year when JAM Arena opens! Hopefully, they will get more performances with the Battle Court format as Pelota betting will not initially be instituted for the February start from what I understand, but return in the summer.
Miami: December 8, 2025 : The Cyclones will be taking on the Devils in the final “Jai alai Super Bowl” held at Magic City Jai alai this Friday night at 7pm.
With $200,000 at stake to the winning team, and tens of thousands to be dished out to the players, there is a lot at stake here.
Friday’s doubleheader featured performances that started at 2:30pm and 7pm. The first playoff round featured the Cyclones defeating the Warriors 4 games to 2 with Jairo and Stan securing the Game 6 Match with a perfect 6-0 win in game 3 of their set. Warriors team owner, Ray Lewis, watched the entire performance in the VIP area.
The second half featured the Devils defeating the Fireballs in “overtime” with Benetrix and Roque defeating Joseph and Ikeda 6-2 in a one game playoff. The teams were deadlocked at 3 games apiece and were decided by Division 5 players in a winner take all game to 6 points. An enthusiastic crowd of about 70 were in attendance including team owners. When opened to the public, it’s an entirely different atmosphere. The DJ cranks out songs on a phenomenal sound system right up till the serve is made and then resuming right after the point ends. Young girls and couple of boys did cheerleader-like dances between games to entertain the crowd. A huge difference then the sterile atmosphere from all other performances when no one from the general public is welcome to watch. Unlike Dania Jai alai, you can hear Stu and Andrew announce the games. Nice color programs were available to all and loads of gift baskets were given away to dancers in the crowd. Even former Dania pro and current Puryear Park regular Bob “Garby” got one!
As you likely know, Friday night will the final performance at Magic City Casino before moving two miles north to the original Miami Jai alai, which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary when the new season starts at “JAM Arena”.
A big press release came out yesterday giving us some good insight at what is instore for the future of Magic City Jai alai and the place it will move operations to.
As we all know by now, Magic City Jai alai had been operating out of a former music venue at what was previously known as Flagler Dog Track. When slot machines were added, the venue was rebranded as Magic City Casino. Dog racing was forced to shut down in the State of Florida by a public referendum and decoupled. The Havenick family, long time owners of the venue sold it to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in early 2023 for $96 million. The agreement allowed the Jai alai operation to continue the site until the end of 2025, forcing Scott Savin and his group to look for a new location. Several options were on the board with interested areas including Los Vegas and Rhone Island. But the most obvious and logical choice was just up the road that already had a full-blown jai alai court, 1500 seats along with pari-mutual infrastructure in place – just sitting there and rotting away. The original 99-year-old Miami Jai-alai fronton. The adjacent structure alongside it now hosts Miami Casino and its slot machines.
The Jai alai structure of it appears to be taken over by Scott Savin and his group in a press release that went out yesterday morning. Big plans appear to be in store.
The new operation will be called the JAM Arena. JAM stands for Jai Alai Miami. The “Arena” part is not “Fronton”, because it appears that it will become more than just a jai alai court. Yes,, the World Jai Alai League will resume operations there next starting in February. But there is a whole lot of other things planned. According to the press release, the “entertainment” space has experienced a multi-million-dollar reinvestment that will feature upgraded amenitites and family-friendly sports activations for a unique presentation of sports, comedy, concerts, and cultural programing with a jai alai court as its backdrop.
“Centrally located and family-friendly, JAM Arena will cast a bright new spotlight on South Florida’s top entertainers” Scott Savin was quoted as saying. The launch of JAM Arena marks a new era for the site, which will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2026 and represents the latest example of South Florida’s expanding entertainment offerings.
All sounds good and with jai alai only consuming a small part of the calendar, filling in the “dead” time with concerts, comedy shows and other sports (boxing as already taken place there with Don King promotions) sounds like a winner to me. Just need to fix up that side of the building and I would like to see the parking lot fixed up and with better lighting outside to make the area feel safer.
As far as the new jai alai court is coming along, the new glass back wall is up with the side netting and overhead netting going up as we speak. We do not have any photos to share on that, but you can see the previous story and photos we did a couple weeks ago on this site. It also appears the court may be 6 feet longer than the normal one at Magic City, and pari-mutual wagering may be returning in the summer along with the sports betting format which will start in February.
November 19, 2025: Great article posted on Casino.org on jai alai in Los Vegas. There is some great information that I was never aware of at Vegas jai alai. This website is the best information guide in the world on gambling around the world and has been around since 1995. Do check it out. Everything is covered from financial, legislation, crime, sports betting, entertainment and more. Hundreds of articles that could keep you busy for hours. This article did have one mistake that I noted – it said N. Miami was the only school for the sport ever located in the US, which is false. Milford Connecticut had one at the same time. But otherwise, an informative story.
When Kirk Kerkorian opened the original MGM Grand Hotel (today’s Horseshoe Las Vegas) on December 5, 1973, he wanted more than slot machines and showrooms. He wanted spectacle. So inside what was then the largest resort in the world, he built a 2,200‑seat arena for the first sustained professional sport staged inside a Strip casino. The games began three weeks later.
Balls to the Wall
Jai alai, imported from Spain’s Basque country, was billed as “ballet with bullets.” Players hurled a goat‑skinned pelota at speeds topping 170 miles per hour using curved wicker baskets called cestas. Pari‑mutuel betting was allowed, just like horse racing.
Director Harry “Coon” Rosen — whose nickname derived from his jet-black raccoon hair — was brought in from Tijuana to lure gamblers with a new exotic thrill.
For a while, it looked like a hit. Celebrities James Garner, Michael Landon, and Pete Rose were spotted in the stands. The fronton even appeared in Hollywood: Jon Voight and Ann‑Margret filmed scenes for “Lookin’ to Get Out” there in 1980, with a seven-year-old Angelina Jolie Voight making her screen debut in the audience.
Dropping the Ball
Another postcard from the MGM Grand advertising its Jai Alai games. (Image: MGM Grand)
The glamour masked a mess. Players — mostly Basques, Spaniards, and Mexicans — scraped by on meager pay, with the Tijuana contingent earning a reported $126 a month after brutal currency conversions. Fights broke out in locker rooms.
Everything came to a boil In October 1975. That’s when the full roster of 32 players walked out, demanding union recognition and better wages. MGM warned that their work visas would be revoked if they didn’t return. Immigration officials backed the threat.
The strike reportedly ended with a slew of deportations in November 1975, and MGM restarted with a new roster in late December — after the old players’ contracts had expired anyway.
That new roster included Kenny Pyle. Plucked from North Miami Amateur Jai-Alai, the only school for the sport ever located in the US, he played thousands of matches over seven seasons and became the standout American player — though what he remembered most was being resented by his foreign teammates. (Bad feelings from the busted strike left scars.)
Meantime, the crowds had begun to wane. Admission fees were always steeper than for other frontons and there were no matinee shows for families. Also, Rosen refused to allow trifecta betting — a Florida staple that juiced wagering.
Nightly handles hovered around $50,000 — respectable but nowhere near Miami’s $350,000 highs.
Bye, Alai!
The 1980 MGM Grand fire, which killed 87 people, disrupted operations but did not directly end jai alai. The fronton reopened a few months later, yet the decline in interest intensified. By November 1983, jai alai proved to be one loss-leader too many for MGM, which shut it down.
For Las Vegas, it was a bold early experiment in pro sports that never found its audience. It was fast and dangerous, but too unfamiliar, too poorly managed, and too overshadowed by the Strip’s endless cavalcade of sexier entertainment at the time. It never returned.
On July 1, 2018, Magic City Jai-alai opened its doors for the first performance. Recruiting a bunch of former Florida college athletes who had never heard of jai-alai, much less pronounce it, were shocked to receive an email about becoming a professional jai alai player. Is this a joke they asked?
No, it wasn’t. Now over seven years later, the jai alai operations will have to move to a new location. The original owners sold the casino but were allowed to keep the jai alai operations going in what use to be a music venue for a couple more years. They are moving three miles to the north – ironically to the “Yankee Stadium” of jai-alai – Miami jai-alai! Yes, that Miami jai alai now called Miami Casino. Live jai alai came to an end about 4 years ago and the fronton has hosted Don King boxing matches.
There will be a different twist to this version of jai alai. Yes, the 100-year-old cancha is still intact with its granite front wall but a odd twist is now taking place. A glass wall has been installed – roughly the existing serving line – to make it closer to the 130-foot length of Magic City jai alai. The original cancha is around 175 feet long. The original side wall will be used and the front wall, but the back wall will be all glass. No one knows yet how the court will play – they are soon to be testing balls to see what works best.
Why don’t they just go back to “real” jai alai, detractors ask. Management wants a faster paced game to complete in the gambling world. Today, betters want instant gratification like a slot machine. They also like the camera angles you get thru the clear glass vs. a camera off to the side and up high.
There are only 4 weeks left at Magic City – counting the two playoff weekends, and with spectators only allowed in on Friday nights (lets hope this changes), the fronton is open this Friday November 21st, the 28th, and then the playoffs on December 5th and 12th. All starting at 7pm. So if you want to see it live and in person, time is quickly running out.
The opening at Miami Casino will be in February and is on schedule. A late summer tournament for the pros and amateurs is also in the works.
The 4th annual Dania Beach Invitational Jai alai Tournament starts up in little over 3 weeks from now with opening night starting on Thursday, December 4th.
The “season” will last thru the last day of February with a Saturday night performance. Performances will run matinees at 1pm on Tuesday, Saturday and Sundays at 1pm and evenings Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm. Parimutuel wagering will be the betting option.
Everything is moving forward accordingly, and Benny is looking for sponsorships for the event.
In other news, they are looking at upgrading some of the cameras in the broadcast, which would be a nice welcome. Other than that, it’s “waiting for the planes to land”.
The Pelota Press will once again be there on Opening Night for coverage of the event.
Here is the latest PR release from the World Jai Alai League
MIAMI, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The World Jai-Alai League (WJAL) Battle Court Fall 2025 season is heating up as teams battle for playoff positioning in the second half of the season. With weeks left before the double-header playoff on Friday, Dec 5 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.), the intensity on the court is reaching new heights, with every match playing a crucial role in the race to the top. The top four scoring teams will advance to the playoffs: Currently the top four spots are held by the Cyclones, Renegades, Warriors, and Fireballs with less than two points separating the entire WJAL from top to bottom. The two winning teams from the playoff will face off at the final on Friday, Dec. 12 (7 p.m.).
Cyclones player Jairo launches the ball to his opponent. Credit: World Jai-Alai League.
“This is the closest race for the playoffs in the eight-season history of the WJAL. You can feel the urgency in every point played,” said Scott Savin, chief operating officer of the World Jai-Alai League. “These athletes are stepping it up across the board, and the second half of the season promises to be even more thrilling than the first.”
At the mid-season mark, the Cyclones team has emerged as the dominant force, led by team captain Emmanuel Romain Laduche, known courtside as Manú, and team owners Chris Cote and Mike Ryan, longtime producers of the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.” This is especially exciting as this could be the team’s most recent championship title since 2022. Meanwhile, reigning champions, the Renegades, and the Warriors are keeping the pressure on, with the Fireballs not far behind. As the season progresses, the Devils and the Chargers will look to turn the tide and make a late-season push toward playoff contention.
Battle Court matches are played at the Magic City Fronton in Miami on Tuesdays through Thursdays at 5 p.m. and on Fridays at 7 p.m. Friday matches are open to spectators and present the world’s fastest ball sport in an exciting, family-friendly setting. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission and self-parking are free.
Florida-based fans can also enjoy seamless wagering and live streaming via the Hard Rock Bet app. Fans unable to attend in person can follow the action live on the Jai-Alai Network (WJAL’s YouTube channel), ESPN3, FUBO TV, or Jai-Alai TV (www.jaialai.live).
About World Jai-Alai League The World Jai-Alai League (WJAL) is dedicated to revitalizing the world’s fastest ball sport by modernizing gameplay, capitalizing on the international sports wagering market, and delivering the sport through social media to a new generation of fans across the globe. The WJAL plays at the Magic City Fronton in Miami, located at 450 N.W. 37th Ave.
