Dania Jai-Alai casino, the fourth racino in Broward County, is expected to open in January, said Chief Executive Officer Scott Savin. The exact opening date “is a moving target. We want to have walls before we open,” noted Savin, chief operating officer at Magic City Casino (formerly Flagler Dog Track), which purchased a 25 percent interest in Dania Jai-Alai last year from an Argentine investor group, which bought the property in 2013. Last May Savin stated renovations at Dania, which will be renamed, would be completed in December. However, heavy rains have forced rescheduling.
The new Dania casino will be operated by Magic City and will feature a large video screen broadcasting the live jai alai action to players at the 900 slots and 30 poker tables.
Broward County voters approved slots in 2004, and Gulfstream Park and Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach began offering the games in 2006. Boyd Gaming, Dania’s parent company, did not install slots and announced a sale to local investors in 2011, but that sale fell through. In 2013, the Argentine group purchased the fronton, opening on February 14, 2014 with slots and poker tables in one-quarter of the building. They closed the operation eight months later to start the comprehensive renovation.
Savin said a job fair will be held later this year.
