Jefferson Looks At Bringing In Jai Alai
by Richard Rainey - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Jai alai, the frenetic scoop-and-ball game once popular in some betting circles in Florida and other states, could return to southeastern Louisiana after an 80-year absence.

A former player and jai alai aficionado from Fort Worth, Texas, Evan Coleman, met with the Jefferson Economic Development Corp. this month hoping to resurrect the pari-mutuel sport in the metropolitan New Orleans area. While talks have not elevated beyond an initial whimsy, JEDCO Executive Director Lucien Gunther said Jefferson Parish business leaders were willing to entertain the idea.

"Is this a pie-in-the-sky thing that we should run this guy on his way, or should Jefferson Parish look at this?" Gunther said. "So we're in the process of at least letting him prove to us that this thing could be the advantage that he says it could be."

Coleman said jai alai would bring huge economic benefits to the area, but the true test of the sport's success probably will be how well its supporters can allay apprehension about its ties to gambling.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that if this thing moves forward, it's not going to be universally accepted in our community," Gunther said.

Jai alai evolved from several ball games first played in Basque country, the mountainous region of northern Spain. Players use a scoop, known as a cesta, to hurl a small rubber ball at more than 180 mph against the walls of a fronton, an enclosed arena reminiscent of an elongated racquetball court. Observers bet on the matches.

While it's played in 23 countries, jai alai's popularity in the United States has waned in recent years.