Dania Jai Alai casino reopens after USD 60M makeover

A grand opening is planned on Feb. 26.

"It looks like a true Las Vegas-style casino," said Dania Beach Mayor Marco Salvino. "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."

The old Jai Alai court and 5,000-seat stadium at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd. has been transformed into a vibrant gaming oasis with 880 slot machines, a 21-table poker room, a simulcast area, an electronic gaming room with craps, blackjack and roulette plus sports bars and restaurants. The entire facility enforces a no-smoking rule.

Photo Gallery: New Casino in Dania Beach
Dania Jai Alai is back open with a new look and a new name after closing for renovations more than a year ago. (Taimy Alvarez/Sun Sentinel)
"We brought Dania Jai Alai into the 21st century," said Scott Savin, CEO of Dania Entertainment Center. "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."

Savin also serves as chief operating officer of Magic City Casino in Miami. The Magic City team partnered with a group of Argentine investors two years ago and will operate the new Dania casino. Initial plans for a 500-room hotel have been scratched, Savin said.

Jai alai fans will find an updated new court with seating for 500. A large video screen on the main casino floor will showcase the jai alai games.

"We are reinventing and rebranding jai alai," Savin said. "We're trying to revive what some people think is a dead sport. But we've been getting tons of calls about jai alai.''

The roster includes 36 players, including 14 new players from Spain. They'll play six days a week, with games beginning at 4:15 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Savin hopes to introduce a cadre of women players as soon as 2017.

Local bands will hold court Friday and Saturday nights on the first floor and bigger acts will entertain in Stage 954, a concert venue with 850 seats on the second floor. Jefferson Starship is coming Feb. 27 and Foreigner is booked for March 11.

The slot machines cater to all tastes, from the latest – think Britney Spears and the Dragon Spin -- to the oldies like Wheel of Fortune and Stinkin Rich.

A Las Vegas-style buffet named Luxe will be open Friday and Saturday nights and offer brunch on Sundays.

Earle Nash, a regular at Dania Jai Alai, has been missing the place since it closed in September 2014.

"That was my second home," said Nash, a Dania Beach resident who played poker there four times a week and plans to return this week.

"I didn't know they were open to the public," he said. "The people who went there, you knew everybody. I thoroughly enjoyed going there."

On Wednesday, about 200 people stopped by to check out the new casino, Savin said. He predicts Dania will give its competitors a run for their money.

"Hard Rock is the 800-million-pound gorilla," Savin said. "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."