After being built more than 80 years ago for the sport of jai-alai, Casino Miami Jai-Alai is undergoing an upgrade for the 21st Century and will soon feature an improved façade and entryway alongside new bars and attractions for younger players.
According to a report from The Miami Herald, the south Florida venue is spending $20 million on the multi-phase improvement project with the initial developments scheduled for completion before the end of the month.
“We’re bringing it into 2016, making it something that we can be proud of,” Dave Jonas, Chief Executive Officer for Casino Miami Jai-Alai, told the newspaper. “When we’re done the whole sense of arrival should look like what you’d expect at a Las Vegas casino.”
The Miami venue added a complement of over 1,000 slot machines five years ago and expects to unveil its new façade and signage by the start of July with the entire facelift scheduled for completion by next summer. Jonas declared that Casino Miami Jai-Alai will be spending $5 million on revamping its roof and restrooms while other additions are to include the new Whiskies bar alongside a similar venue christened MIA in honor of the nearby Miami International Airport as well as an as yet unnamed sports bar with “very big” televisions.
Casino Miami Jai-Alai opened its Club Rio gaming room offering 24 poker tables more than a year ago and Jonas stated that the upgrade is set to see this area revamped to feature a selection of new electronic gaming tables for the more sophisticated younger player.
“We really adding spaces while working within a fairly limited budget,” said Jonas. “We’re trying to add spaces that create reasons for people to show up.”