After being closed more than a year for renovations, the now officially named Casino @ Dania Beach, formerly Dania Jai Alai, recently debuted its million makeover. An official grand opening will take place February 26.
Dania Entertainment Center Chief Executive Officer Scott Savin said, “We brought Dania Jai Alai into the 21st century. Our competitors want you to come in and gamble. We try to emphasize entertainment over gambling. Our casinos are about the concerts, the comedians, the shows. We want you to come in and have a drink, listen to music, take in a show, watch jai alai.” Added Dania Beach Mayor Marco Salvino, “It looks like a true Las Vegas-style casino. It will draw people from all over and bring more people to our city. We want people to come here to gamble and enjoy the new casino and maybe check out some of the new restaurants.”
In 2013, Boyd Gaming sold Dania Jai-Alai to four Argentine businessmen who operate about 25 casinos there. They unsuccessfully opened a portion of the building as a casino in February 2014. Soon after, the owners of Magic City Casino in Miami, where Savin also serves as chief operating officer, bought a share of Dania and now operate it. They closed the small casino and commenced the gut-rehab project.
Dania is the fourth and last Broward County parimutuel to offer slots, along with Gulfstream Park, Mardi Gras Casino and the Isle Casino and Racing, which all had slots by 2007.
The new non-smoking facility now offers 880 slot machines, a 21-table poker room, simulcast area, electronic gaming room with craps, blackjack and roulette, plus sports bars and restaurants. Savin said players who earn points at Magic City can use them at Dania, and vice versa.
The new updated jai alai court offers seating for 500 and casino patrons also can watch the action on a large video screen on the main casino floor. The roster includes 36 players, including 14 new players from Spain, who will play six days a week, with games beginning at 4:15 p.m. and 10 p.m. Savin said he hopes to introduce female players in 2017. “We are reinventing and rebranding jai alai. We’re trying to revive what some people think is a dead sport. But we’ve been getting tons of calls about jai alai,” Savin said. Those 18 and older can bet on jai-alai and poker.
Also on-site is an 850-seat concert venue, Stage 954, which will bring in national acts. Roaster’s and Toaster’s deli and a high-end buffet, Luxe, will open soon, Savin said.
Savin said original plans to build a 500-room hotel have been canceled. He added with the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino about five miles away in Hollywood, and Gulfstream and Mardi Gras to the south, Dania will have to be competitive. “This is a much bigger challenge than in Miami, where we were the first ones to open, and were able to have a battle plan in place when the others opened. Now were surrounded by established casinos.” He added, “Hard Rock is the 800-million-pound gorilla. They probably don’t consider us a competitor. But I think we’ll get some of their customers, the people who live east. We’re smaller and more personal. We’re going to be a good local casino.”
