Jai alai will return to the Casino at Dania Beach in Florida for the 2022-2023 Dania Beach Invitational Jai-Alai Tournament, December 1, 2022 through January 27, 2023. Nine games will be played Wednesday through Saturday evenings with another nine played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Teams will feature more than 20 of the world’s best players from the Basque region of Spain and France.
The Dania Beach fronton opened in December 1953. Earlier this year, officials announced Dania Beach would close due to lack of interest in the game and a farewell tournament was played. However, that announcement came too early. Today, a 500-seat grandstand plus standing areas will accommodate fans−still a far cry from 5,600 spectators per game in the heyday of the sport.
Benny Bueno, a former professional player and jai alai operations manager, said, “The success of our Battle at the Palace Jai-Alai tournament last spring signals that there is enduring interest in jai alai and we expect the upcoming winter invitational to be a major step in securing the sport’s eventual return to Dania Beach.”
Arnaldo Suarez, chief executive officer at the Casino at Dania Beach, added, “The Casino at Dania Beach has maintained its relationship with our devoted fanbase to help ensure the sport’s legacy lives on. We’re looking forward to once again celebrating live jai alai action in our fronton, hosting these exceptional players and providing guests with an entertainment experience they can have only in Dania Beach.”
Dania features the only remaining full-court regulation fronton in the U.S.
All tournament games will be live-streamed on YouTube via casinodaniabeach.com.
