Jai alai is here to stay as Casino Miami welcomes the sport back
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Jai alai is coming back to Casino Miami. Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for William Hill
Jai alai is staying in Miami-Dade County — and returning to its historic home at Casino Miami.
Why it matters: The World Jai-Alai League, which says it is the only professional jai alai league in the U.S., had been considering leaving South Florida after its lease at Magic City Casino ends this year.
The latest: The league — which plays a modified version of the traditional Basque game — recently announced its new home will be Jai-Alai Miami (JAM) Arena, a newly renovated entertainment space within the old Miami Jai-Alai complex.
- The 1,500-seat venue, which opens in 2026, will feature new seating, a refurbished terrace and bar area, and a redesigned entryway connecting to the casino.
- The World Jai-Alai League will operate the new venue, which will also host concerts, comedy shows and other programming, a spokesperson tells Axios.
- In its heyday, the venue hosted concerts by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen.
Flashback: Jai alai was played at Casino Miami from 1926 to 2021 — and the venue has not been used since then, per the spokesperson.
- Jai alai operators were hit hard by a 2021 law overturning a requirement that certain casinos host pari-mutuel gaming, like jai alai or horse racing, in exchange for keeping card rooms or slot machines.
Zoom in: The Casino at Dania Beach is believed to be the only other place in the U.S. where you can watch jai alai, per Thrillist.
- The Broward County casino is currently hosting a three-month tournament through February.
What they're saying: "We're excited to keep the sport in Miami — especially by bringing it back to its historic home where generations of South Floridians have strong memories of the game," the World Jai-Alai League said in a statement.
What's next: The venue opens Feb. 13.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that World Jai-Alai League's lease at Magic City Casino runs through 2025 (rather than ended in 2024).