The Rise of Jai Alai as a Betting Sport

We will tell the truth and say that we only recently learned of Jai Alai, a sport similar to racquetball. We discovered it a year or so ago, and now, we just read a press release that Florida’s only legal sportsbook, Hard Rock Bet, operated by the Seminole Tribe, which also runs the state’s Hard Rock land-based casinos (Tampa and Hollywood), has teamed up with the World Jai Alai League (WJAL) to offer Jai Alai betting on its events. DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers also seem to offer Jai Alai sports gambling pre WJAL’s website.

We have heard some call Jai Alai the world’s fastest sport, the planet’s fastest-growing one. We are unsure just how accurate the latter is, but the first holds, as Jai Alai is known for its super speedy gameplay. Below, we get into its history, and why it may make its way into many of our reviewed sportsbooks.

The History of Jai Alai & Its Resurgence

From what we can tell, Jai Alai is most popular in the Philippines and Latin America. We assume this is so primarily due to the Hispanic influence in these regions. Hispanics love this sport, whose name translates to merry festival, because its roots go back to Spain’s Basque territory, where it got bithred in the 18th century. It allegedly started to gain international prominence in the early 1900s when it also made its way into the United States.

According to what we read, Jai Alai’s popularity began to wane in the 1980s, and by the 2000s, it was a niche curiosity known to a few.

We assume that this sport’s ability to deliver an adrenaline-pumping experience, with balls or pelotas traveling at speeds over one hundred and fifty miles per hour, contributes to its appeal. That coupled with its unpredictability and variety makes it a unique athletic endeavor like few other.

The Rules of Jai Alai

Jai Alai gets played on a fronton. What is that? It is a three-walled court. This game gets enjoyed using cestas, or curved wicker baskets, and the mentioned pelota (ball). That is the main equipment involved.

The aim here is for players to score by making the pelota rebound off the front wall, with their opponent not being able to return it. The ball must be caught in the air after a single bounce. Matches in Jai Alai typically follow a round-robin format, with scoring often based on a rotation system. A team/player who wins a point retains their court position, while the loser rotates to the end of the lineup. Points get accumulated based on successful returns, and the game gets won when a total of seven or nine gets reached, depending on the format.

Jai Alai as a Betting Sport

Jai Alai betting has predominantly operated in the pari-mutuel format. This type of betting was and still is somewhat a defining feature of Jai Alai wagering. Fans of horse race gambling should be very familiar with it. It works via pools, where all bets get piled together, and winnings are redistributed among gamblers who have made accurate predictions. These get paid out after taxes and house commissions get deducted. The reason why this system was and still is implemented for this sport is on account of its history, as it rose to prominence in Florida during a time when gambling laws only allowed pari-mutuel wagering for distinct competitions like horse and dog races. Thus, this format aligned with the legal frameworks of the time and was used as a loophole to allow Jai Alai betting.

Unlike fixed-odds betting, pari-mutuel betting allows odds to move based on the volume and distribution of bets. In the digital age, fixed-odds wagering on Jai Alai is available, with some online sportsbooks offering it now.

Of course, the most established market for Jai Alai is bettors trying to predict the match winner. Then comes wagering on which player or team will finish in the top two/three positions, first or second, and trying to guess the top four finishers in the exact order. Over/under options should be present, as well as betting on the total points scored, whether they will be above or below a specific total. Various props, such as gambling on occurrences within a match, can be on the table, as well as futures or outrights and matchup bets—betting on the performance of one player or team against another.

Structures of matches, such as singles versus doubles, greatly influence outcomes in this sport, the same as in tennis, since team play relies on chemistry and coordination. That is something that should be taken into consideration. However, what parties interested in betting on this sport should know is that given its limited availability, especially at the pro level, we doubt that at non-Florida bookmakers, markets outside win ones will be featured.

The Future of Jai Alai

Undoubtedly, Jai Alai is in a stage of resurgence in the US. That holds particularly for its stronghold – Florida. Because of this, stakeholders, including sports organizations and betting operators, are exploring partnerships to bring Jai Alai to new markets. They are doing this by trying to establish statewide professional leagues.

Collaboration with major gambling operators is seen as central to these expansion plans. Casino resorts seem to be interested in integrating Jai Alai courts as a means to attract tourists. If these prove a success, they can then get used to stage public tournaments, which would enhance Jai Alai’s position as a spectator sport and a possible betting spectacle.

At the time of writing, grassroots efforts were mainly critical for Jai Alai to become a recognizable pro sport. Nonetheless, as described here, that is changing. Apps like Hard Rock Bet now allow live streams of contests from the World Jai Alai League (WJAL), and it is only a matter of time before this increased exposure leads to more investments in the sport. Its unique heritage guarantees a built-in fan base, and with modern sportsbooks, its betting appeal will no doubt grow due to the different wagering choices these hubs are able to provide for it. That will go a long way in expanding this sport’s geographic footprint outside the United States.

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