Dania Jai-Alai's John Knox: "It's been a wonderful experience"
John Knox, who retired this week, sent me a note today with comments about retiring.
Knox was with Dania for 38 years. He began in 1971 announcing the games during the winter months. ("I was in radio at the time WQAM/WINZ, it was a part-time gig that was fun," he writes).
In 1974 he went full time as promotions manager as Dania started construction.
When Milford Jai-Alai in Connecticut opened, he became VP of Marketing for Aragon Group.
In 1981 he became VP General Manager of Dania as year-round jai-alai started. Thirteen years ago, Dania added poker and has been making changes and additions ever since.
"I am proud of our innovative history with nine-point games, championships, webcasting, web data & information and online information. It has been an exciting and rewarding time with the management and employees of Dania all these years," he says.
When Dania was sold to Boyd Gaming in 2007 he remained with the fronton as General Manager.
"My personal goal was to see the transition to adding slots and growing the property into a full entertainment complex that featured gaming And jai-alai. The uniqueness of jai-alai as both a sport and entertainment is unmatched and totally in my veins," he writes.
"Now I have decided to take some time for myself and no longer carry the day to day load of the operation. I am at a nice retirement age of 61, have my health and friends and family that I want to enjoy. I will be assisting during the next 30 days to help with any transition issues that arise.
"Boyd Gaming has been a wonderful experience and is truly great organization from the founder Bill Boyd all the way through the company.
"I only wish that the deal given to them by the State of Florida was more balanced to allow the ability to compete with the non-regulated gaming that is so prominent in South Florida."
NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, moved on to "night baseball" and "pass the trash" during a Dr. Pepper-infused midnight game in the 1980s at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and now play in a regular neighborhood Hold 'Em game in Plantation. I have been given the assignment of writing about the gambling life in South Florida casinos for the Sun-Sentinel...which means sitting around watching poker on TV now counts as research.
