Jai Alai Is Back — And Connecticut Should Be Paying Attention
Something happened in Miami on February 16, 2026 that barely registered in the mainstream sports press — and it's exactly the kind of thing that serious bettors should know about.
The sport of jai alai returned to its original American home: the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton, now rebranded as JAM Arena. After a multi-million dollar renovation, the venue reopened for World Jai-Alai League competition for the first time in years — exactly 100 years after the sport first took root there. It was a centennial and a comeback in the same breath.
In Connecticut, there are no frontons. There haven't been for decades. But jai alai is available to bet right now, via simulcast at every MyWinners venue in the state — and the sport's revival in Miami is a good reason to start paying attention to it.
A Century of Jai Alai in America
Jai alai — pronounced HI-lie — arrived in the United States in the 1920s, brought over from the Basque Country of northern Spain and France, where it had been played for centuries. The game is built around a small, extremely hard rubber ball called a pelota, which players hurl against a three-walled court using a curved wicker basket strapped to their arm. At full speed, the pelota travels at over 150 mph, making jai alai the fastest ball sport in the world.
Florida embraced it first — and hardest. The Miami Jai-Alai Fronton, which opened in 1926, became the sport's American heartland. By the middle of the 20th century, jai alai was one of the major pari-mutuel betting draws in the country, pulling in crowds that rivalled horse racing venues.
Then the sport came to Connecticut.
Connecticut Had Frontons Too
In the 1970s and 1980s, jai alai was a legitimate draw in New England. Connecticut and Rhode Island both had operating frontons — live venues where fans watched matches and placed pari-mutuel bets in real time. It was a different era of gambling in the Northeast, before casinos, before online sportsbooks, before the landscape changed beyond recognition.
The CT frontons are long gone now. A combination of forces — competition from other gambling formats, a damaging players' strike in the late 1980s, and the rise of state lotteries — eroded the sport's audience nationally from the 1980s onwards. By the 2010s, venues that once drew thousands of bettors were struggling to fill seats.
But jai alai didn't die. It contracted — and then, quietly, it started coming back.
The JAM Arena Opening: Why This Matters
The opening of JAM Arena in Miami this February is the biggest moment for American jai alai in years. The venue — fully renovated at a cost of millions, with 1,500 seats, a new glass back wall, upgraded court dimensions, and a completely refurbished lobby and bar area — represents a genuine bet on the sport's future.
The World Jai-Alai League, now in its ninth season, moved its operations there after its previous lease expired. The league fields 36 professional players across six teams, playing in the Battle Court format — a modernised version of the sport designed to attract new fans while keeping the core of what makes jai alai compelling to bettors.
Scott Savin, the World Jai-Alai League's founder and chief operating officer, has been direct about the stakes: "This is it — we're the last professional jai alai league in the United States. This has to work for jai alai to stay alive internationally." That's not marketing. That's conviction.
The timing is significant too. The centennial of the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton — 100 years since the sport first planted its flag in American soil — coincides exactly with this renovation and revival. The league's plan includes expanding to other states and introducing women players to professional competition for the first time.
What This Means for Connecticut Bettors
The revival happening in Miami feeds directly into what's available to Connecticut bettors right now. MyWinners carries jai alai via simulcast — live matches from active frontons, broadcast in real time to our venues and available to watch and bet exactly as you would courtside.
The pari-mutuel pools are shared across simulcast venues, which means the odds you see reflect real market money — not a manufactured line set by the house. Win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta — the full range of bet types is available on every card.
What makes jai alai genuinely interesting to bet right now — beyond the revival storyline — is that it remains an underserved market. The bettors who take the time to learn the format, study the players, and understand how form reads in a round-robin program are operating in a space where the casual money hasn't fully arrived yet. That's a meaningful edge for anyone willing to put in the work.
If you want the full breakdown on how jai alai works, how the betting structure operates, and why it's worth your time, our dedicated guide covers it: Jai Alai: What It Is and Why Bettors Are Missing Out
A Sport With Something to Prove
There's a version of this story that ends with jai alai fading out quietly — a curiosity in betting history, a fringe simulcast option, something older bettors remember from frontons that closed before most people were born.
That's not what's happening. The World Jai-Alai League has invested seriously in Miami's JAM Arena. The sport is attracting second-generation players — athletes who grew up around it and are now building professional careers in a league that didn't exist a decade ago. The format has been modernised to bring in new audiences without compromising what makes the sport extraordinary to watch.
Jai alai has been here before — bigger crowds, bigger pools, more frontons. It's been through the decline. The question now is whether the centennial year in Miami marks a genuine turning point, or just another chapter in a long contraction.
Either way, the sport is live, the simulcast is running, and the betting opportunity is real.
Place bets at app.mywinners.com, download the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS here or Android here, or find your nearest Winners venue in CT.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jai alai making a comeback in the US?
Yes. The World Jai-Alai League reopened at a fully renovated venue — JAM Arena, the historic Miami Jai-Alai Fronton — in February 2026, coinciding with the fronton's 100th anniversary. The league is now in its ninth season and is operating at its biggest venue to date, with expansion plans in development.
Did Connecticut ever have jai alai frontons?
Yes. Connecticut and Rhode Island both had operating jai alai frontons during the sport's peak years in the 1970s and 1980s. Those venues closed as competition from other gambling formats increased and the sport's national profile declined. No frontons currently operate in Connecticut, but jai alai is available to bet via simulcast at all MyWinners venues in the state.
Where is jai alai played in the US today?
Professional jai alai in the US is currently played at two venues in Florida: JAM Arena (formerly the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton, now home to the World Jai-Alai League) and the Casino at Dania Beach in Broward County. Live matches from both venues are available via simulcast at MyWinners locations across Connecticut.
Can I bet on jai alai online or in Connecticut?
Yes. MyWinners carries live jai alai via simulcast at all nine of our Connecticut venues — East Haven, Stamford, Windsor Locks, Norwalk, Milford, New Britain, Hartford, Manchester, and Waterbury. You can watch and bet on live matches exactly as you would at a fronton. Bet types include win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta.
What is the World Jai-Alai League?
The World Jai-Alai League (WJAL) is the only professional jai alai league operating in the United States. Now in its ninth season, the league features 36 players across six teams competing in the Battle Court format — a modernised team-based version of the sport. The WJAL plays its matches at JAM Arena in Miami and its games are available via simulcast nationwide.
