TLDR
- Entrepreneur Rob Gough bought the World Jai Alai League on August 12
- He plans to expand television and streaming deals for the sport
- Gough wants to add more sports betting partners beyond DraftKings
- Long term, he plans to sell individual teams to private owners
- The new season starts September 15, with bigger changes coming by February 26
Rob Gough has bought the World Jai Alai League, the last year-round professional jai alai operation in the United States. The deal closed on August 12 after Gough convinced the Havernick family, the league’s longtime owners, to sell.
Gough is a 42-year-old entrepreneur from Indianapolis. He built his wealth through auction and coupon websites before buying and later selling the Dope clothing brand. He also has acting credits alongside stars like Bruce Willis and John Travolta.
Gough is known for collecting sports memorabilia. He owns the New York Rangers jersey Wayne Gretzky wore for his final NHL point and paid five million dollars for a Mickey Mantle rookie card.
He said he saw jai alai in person for the first time this year and became hooked right away. That experience pushed him to pursue buying the entire league, even though it was not officially for sale.
Plans for Growth
Gough said his top priority is improving how fans watch the sport on television and online. He believes the current broadcast setup does not do justice to the speed and skill involved in the game.
He also wants to grow the league’s sports betting partnerships. The WJAL currently works with DraftKings, though the league could not immediately share betting volume figures for the sport.
Streaming deals with ESPN+, FuboTV, and the Hard Rock Bet app will continue under Gough’s ownership. He said he plans to review all existing media partnerships to see if better opportunities exist.
Looking further ahead, Gough wants to move away from renting out teams and instead sell them outright to individual owners. He said there is already interest from potential buyers, though no names have been announced.
New Season, New Look
The current front office, led by Chief Operating Officer Scott Savin, will stay in place for the upcoming season, which begins September 15. Gough said he is using this time to learn the business before making bigger moves.
Larger changes are planned for the start of the next season on February 26. Gough has already launched a new website at JaiAlai.com along with a new league logo.
He also wants to update team uniforms and add more storytelling around individual players. Gough said fans currently know little about the athletes competing, and he wants to change that.
Team names could also shift to include city identities, similar to major U.S. sports leagues. Instead of just the Fireballs versus the Warriors, Gough gave an example like a New York City team facing a Tampa Bay team.
Gough said he also wants to bring in celebrities, athletes, and influencers to raise the sport’s public profile. He mentioned speaking with a well-known actor interested in getting involved, though he did not share the name.
Gough said he remains deeply involved in day-to-day decisions while Savin continues to run daily operations. He described the sport’s speed and physical risk as part of what makes it appealing to new fans.
The league’s next professional season opens February 26, when Gough expects many of his planned changes to be in place.
