Bettors in Illinois and Iowa can now bet on the fastest game on the planet, jai-alai. BetRivers Sportsbook is now accepting wagers on head-to-head games of the traditional Basque country sport.
BetRivers is among the most popular sportsbooks in Illinois, currently ranking third, right behind DraftKings and FanDuel.
BetRivers is the sports betting partner of the Chicago Bears, and now, it’s adding Jai Alai, which could bring a whole new audience to the sportsbook.
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What is Jai Alai?
In the Basque language of Euskara, Jai Alai means “merry festival”. The game was played on Sundays, following church, in the church’s open courtyard. In fact, the game even has a patron saint, Saint Ignatius Loyola.
The court where a Jai Alai game is played is called a “fronton”. In the early days of the game, the players wrapped their hands with leather, to protect them from the very hard, fast-moving ball. The Jai Alai ball is handmade from tightly wound metal wire stitched into a goatskin cover.
Sometime in the late 19th century, a Basque farmer devised the “xistera”, the long basket used to hurl the ball. This invention not only protected the player’s hands, but it’s also responsible for the lightning-fast ball speeds today. José Ramón Areito launched a traditional goatskin ball at the Newport, Rhode Island Fronton, reaching a speed of 188 mph. Canadian Jason Zuback launched a golf ball reaching a speed of speed of 204 mph. The speed of the ball can make Jai Alai a dangerous sport.
The player must catch the ball either on the fly or after one bounces off the floor. A Jai Alai team scores one point if an opposing team’s player:
- Does not catch the ball on the fly or after one bounce.
- Doesn’t serve the ball so that the rebound lands between the 4th and 7th lines on the court.
- Interferes with a player trying to hurl or catch the ball.
- Juggles or holds the ball.
- Launches the ball out of bounds.
The game is played in a round-robin format, and the first team to score 7 or 9 points claims victory. Typically, eight single players or eight teams of two players comprise the game.
How Illinois Sports Bettors Can Wager on Jai Alai
BetRivers parent company, Rush Street Interactive, is the sole sports betting partner of Magic City Casino’s Jai Alai; the Miami-based casino built a fronton on the former Stage 305, as well as forming its own league. Since the league’s 2018 inception, Magic City Jai Alai has played more than 4,000 games.
If you’d like to get a feel for the game, the casino has posted live-streamed games on its YouTube channel. The games will also be live-streamed on the BetRivers Sportsbook.
Traditionally, Jai Alai betting was parimutuel, so fixed odds betting on head-to-head games is something new. Bettors can wager on the head-to-head match, and make in-play wagers set-by-set or even point-by-point. The betting generally follows the same format as tennis.
Scott Savin, Magic City Casino COO believes the modernized betting format will appeal to a younger sports betting audience.
Jai Alai is Very Popular in Florida
It’s no accident that Magic City Casino in Miami decided to launch a Jai Alai league and build a fronton. Cuban immigrants first brought the game to Florida. Often called the “Yankee Stadium of Jai Alai” the Miami fronton on 37th Avenue was built in the 1920s.
Other notable Florida frontons are located in Ocala, Jasper, Fort Pierce, Orlando, and Dania Beach. In fact, the Dania Beach fronton is also at a casino, The Casino at Dania Beach. That casino has been hosting Jai Alai games since 1953.
The first professional fronton opened during the 1920s in Miami. The high time for Jai Alai in Florida was the 1970s and 80s when 5,000 to 10,000 enthusiastic fans would fill the seats. However, the sport’s popularity slowly declined, until now. Florida casinos are betting on a revival of the Basque sport.
Chicago Also Once Loved Jai Alai
In terms of climate, landscape, and culture, Chicago and Florida couldn’t be more different. But one thing these two states once shared is a love for Jai Alai.
Current downtown Chicago residents may not realize it, but The Rainbo, at 4812 N. Clark Street, once served as a casino and a Jai Alai fronton. Opened in 1921 as Mann’s Million Dollar Rainbo Room, it was billed as America’s biggest nightclub. But in the wake of Prohibition, the space was converted into a casino and a Jai Alai fronton.
Today, Jai Alai is not a sport you will find in Chicago, or anywhere across the Midwest. But, that doesn’t mean Midwesterners in Illinois and Iowa can’t bet on this exciting, fast-paced sport.
