The fronton suffers from its proximity to the Seminole Tribe’s massive Hard Rock, which offers 2,500 slots and more gambling options.īut the new owners aren’t deterred. The Argentines bought the fronton in May for $65.5 million from Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, which itself had paid $152 million in 2006. Source: Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering
Losing the Handle:Ĭhange in total amount of bets at larger Florida jai alai frontons “Their intent is to get up and going with the slot machines as soon as possible,” says the group’s attorney, John Lockwood, a Tallahassee lawyer who specializes in gambling law and represents clients in the casino and pari-mutuel industry. Now, however, an Argentine business group that recently bought the fronton says it plans to install 500 slots by year-end and approximately 1,400 within a few years.
Dania Jai Alai, eight years later, still offers no slots - and has suffered from its reliance on the “fastest game on earth.” When Broward County horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons won the legal right in 2005 to offer slot machines, owners rushed to put in slots and reap the profits - with one exception.
