A portion of the last Broward County jai-alai fronton to add slot machines after an industry-wide decline in pari-mutuel interests is slated to open tonight.
About a quarter of the Dania Casino property is open to the public now that the owners have put in 550 slot machines and 12 poker tables. The auditorium for jai-alai, a fast-moving game of wall-ball that is wagered on in betting pools, only has the first three rows available to watch the action.
Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming bought the business for $152 million in 2006 but sold it off in 2013 for $65.5 million, wary of slot taxes and competition from nearby Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, according to the Sun Sentinel.
A group of casino operators from Argentina owns 75 percent of the property now, and a local group owns the remaining quarter. The owners plan to add another 850 slot machines, a hotel and marina. [Sun Sentinel] — Angela Hunt