Dexter: Original Sin Filming Locations: The Jai Alai Court
The
location: The Jai-Alai Court
Q.
What is it supposed to be on the show?
A. A Jai-alai court.
Q.
Where is it supposed to be on the show?
A. In or near Miami, Florida.
Q.
When did we see it on the show?
A. We see this location twice in Episode 3, of Season 1.
The first time is when Dexter, having found tickets to a Jai-alai
fronton in “Handsome Tony” Ferrar’s house, goes to that fronton, and
finds Tony sitting up-front, watching the game. Dexter approaches him
and pretends to be a Jai-alai fan.
When Tony
calls his bluff, Dexter reveals his real motive for talking to Tony,
which is to borrow $300 from the loan shark. Tony asks for ID, and then
loans Dexter $500 cash, telling him the vig is 10% per week.
We see the Jai-alai fronton later in the same episode, when Dexter uses
it as a kill room, where he decapitates handsome Tony with a
machete.
Q.
What is it actually in real life?
A. A Jai-alai court.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This scene was filmed in Florida, at Casino Miami (formerly known as Miami Jai-Alai Fronton), which can be found at 3500 NW 37th Ave, in Miami.
That's about six miles inland, near the Miami International Airport.
The sport of Jai-alai was introduced to the U.S. early in the 20th
century, and became extremely popular in Florida, where there were
multiple frontons.
Gambling was permitted on Jai-alai games (and still is), but in the
early 1980s, the popularity of the sport fell off after it became
associated with organized crime and after a lengthy player strike.
Attendance at the sport has dwindled, and the Miami fronton is now just
part of a larger casino, where other forms of gambling are offered.
Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?
A. This wasn't hard. The fronton is identified by the unique Miami Jai-alailogo
that is clearly
visible at several points during the scene, including on the wall behind
the bar, when Dexter enters the room:
and on the back wall of the court itself, as the players compete:
(“Dexter: Original Sin” filmed for 10 days in Miami, at the start of this inaugural season.)
And that same logo can be seen on the side of the Casino Miami building In the Google Street View below:
