Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai-Alai was a poker-focused gambling venue in Orange Lake, Florida, between Ocala and Gainesville. The Orange Lake property permanently closed on October 28, 2023. Its draw was live poker and tournaments, not a casino-resort getaway. Today, it is relevant to readers interested in north-central Florida gambling history, not anyone planning a card session. My main advice: do not let an old listing send you to the former Highway 318 address.
Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai-Alai at a glance
| Operating status | Permanently closed |
|---|---|
| Closure date | October 28, 2023 |
| Former address | 4601 W Highway 318, Orange Lake, FL 32681 |
| Property type | Former poker room and jai-alai fronton |
| Historical main attraction | Live, player-versus-player poker and tournaments |
| Poker room today | Not operating at this closed location |
| Retail sportsbook | No |
| Minimum gambling age | 18; the property is closed and does not admit players |
| Reported former owner | Ocala Breeders’ Sales |
The historical property account identifies the location as Orange Lake, while noting that some sources describe it as Reddick. It also connects the closure with another OBS-owned poker room, Ocala Bets. The different place names can explain older listings, but neither makes this an operating destination.
In a July 2025 retrospective, 352today described the original fronton building as still standing but abandoned. That is a dated account of the building’s condition, not an invitation to visit or explore it.
What kind of gambling venue was it?
Think dedicated cardroom, not full-service casino resort. Players came for poker, while the jai-alai name reflected the property’s earlier identity.
The historical account dates the fronton’s beginnings to 1973 and describes a shift toward poker in 2008. That helps explain why the name could suggest a different outing from the one poker players actually sought. I would think of it as a regional card-playing stop, rather than somewhere to build a hotel, dining, and entertainment weekend around.
Its earlier role extended beyond gambling. In the Ocala Gazette’s closure coverage, former employee Ginny Britton recalled concerts and local high school graduations at the fronton. Those memories help explain why its closing mattered locally beyond the poker crowd.
Poker room, jai-alai, and sportsbook
The former venue had a dedicated player-versus-player poker room and hosted tournaments. This was not simply video poker or a collection of poker-themed table games: its central offering involved playing cards against other people.
No poker games or tournaments operate at this closed address. Historical game lists, buy-ins, and table minimums should not be carried over to another property because it has related ownership.
There was also a warning for anyone holding the old room’s chips. Ocala-News.com’s October 2023 report reproduced the company’s notice that Ocala Gainesville poker chips would have no cash value as of October 28, 2023. Do not assume chips kept from the former room can be used at its successor.
The jai-alai name does not establish that live matches or wagering were available throughout the venue’s later poker-focused years. The casino has no on-property retail sportsbook; sports televisions and historical pari-mutuel wagering are different offerings.
How large was the poker business?
Historical cardroom receipts offer one way to compare Ocala Gainesville with another Marion County operation without mistaking building size for poker activity.
In the Florida Gaming Control Commission’s fiscal year 2022–2023 report, Oxford Downs recorded total cardroom gross receipts of $11,005,113, compared with $1,438,400 for Ocala Gainesville Poker. Dividing the former by the latter gives approximately 7.65 times the receipts.
Gamboool original analysis
We assembled the comparison below from published information and our calculations. These are selected examples, rather than measured gambling sessions or a representative survey.
| Detail | Published information |
|---|---|
| Ocala Gainesville Poker at the Orange Lake location: Reported permanent closure and relationship to Ocala Bets | The Orange Lake venue reportedly permanently closed on October 28, 2023, to facilitate Ocala Bets, another OBS-owned poker room. Treat the former location and Ocala Bets as distinct destinations. |
| OBS Real Estate Holdings, LLC, doing business as Ocala Gainesville Poker and Jai-Alai: Cardroom license status versus physical venue status | The supplied licensing record lists cardroom license 277 as Current, with an expiration of June 30, 2027. A current license under the business name does not itself establish that the former Orange Lake venue is open to visitors. |
| OcalaBets: Opening chronology in the regulator’s annual report | The regulator’s fiscal year 2024–2025 report identifies OcalaBets as having opened in September 2023, providing a separate opening milestone from the former venue’s reported closure. |
| Former Ocala Gainesville Poker venue: Historical table and television inventory | The historical description lists 28 poker tables and 18 large plasma televisions. These describe the former venue, not a confirmed current inventory at Ocala Bets. |
| Former Ocala Gainesville Poker venue: Historical optional massage price | Tableside massages were historically listed at $1.00 per minute. This is not a current service or price quotation for Ocala Bets. |
| Former Ocala Gainesville Poker venue: Historical food and private-event amenities | The former venue had a bar and café and offered private parties and tournaments; these historical amenities should not be presented as current visitor services at the closed location. |
| Ocala Gainesville Poker: Historical pari-mutuel handle versus cardroom activity | The fiscal year 2022/2023 regular and charity/scholarship handle table reports zero across the property’s pari-mutuel categories, while the same report records cardroom receipts. The jai-alai name alone therefore does not demonstrate live wagering activity during that reporting year. |
| Florida intertrack wagering: Pool and take-out treatment compared with on-track wagering | The regulator explains that intertrack bets join the host’s wagering pools and use the same host take-out as on-track bets. This is a pari-mutuel rule, not a poker rake or sportsbook pricing policy. |
| Florida licensed pari-mutuel cardrooms and slot facilities: Different geographic authorization | The regulator distinguishes cardrooms authorized at licensed pari-mutuel facilities statewide from pari-mutuel slot gaming authorized in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A cardroom license is not evidence of a slot-machine offering. |
| Calculation | Result | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Historical scale comparison: Oxford Downs versus Ocala Gainesville Poker, fiscal year 2022/2023 | 7.65094062848 times Ocala Gainesville Poker’s historical total cardroom gross receipts | This compares the historical scale of two Marion County cardroom businesses, not player costs, poker traffic, or current game availability. Confirm current games directly rather than choosing a room on historical receipts alone. |
Research references: en.wikipedia.org, flgaming.gov, flgaming.gov.
Method: Published inputs collected 2026-10-17. Illustrative assumptions are labeled, and the full calculation inputs remain in the saved research record. These examples support planning; they do not predict a particular session.
My takeaway is that Ocala Gainesville was the smaller cardroom business in this comparison. That is not a measure of playing quality, available seats, friendliness, or what an individual player spent. Historical receipts also cannot tell you which room has your preferred game today.
Is Ocala Gainesville Poker the same as OcalaBets?
No. Treat the former Orange Lake venue and OcalaBets as different destinations. The closure account connects the end of the Orange Lake operation with Ocala Bets. Separately, the commission’s fiscal year 2024–2025 annual report identifies OcalaBets as having opened in September 2023.
Do not reuse the old Orange Lake address when looking for OcalaBets. Related ownership does not make the addresses, games, promotions, or services interchangeable. Confirm your destination’s current address and operating information before leaving.
Former dining and amenities
The historical description lists a bar and café, along with private parties and tournaments. Those were supporting amenities for a poker visit, not a resort-style dining lineup.
They are historical offerings, not places to stop for a meal today. Do not arrange accommodation, transportation, or a dining reservation around gambling at this closed location.
Planning a poker trip instead?
If your goal is to play rather than revisit the property’s history, start with an operating room. Our Florida casinos guide is a starting point for comparing other destinations.
Then confirm the details that determine whether the drive is worthwhile: the exact address, games currently running, stakes, buy-in requirements, and tournament schedule. For tournaments, ask for the full entry cost, including fees, and whether reentries or add-ons are available.
I would put those answers ahead of any old star rating. Even a glowing review of a former room cannot tell you what is running at a different address tonight.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai-Alai still open?
No. The Orange Lake venue permanently closed on October 28, 2023.
Where was Ocala Gainesville Poker located?
The former address was 4601 W Highway 318, Orange Lake, FL 32681. Older descriptions may refer to the area as Reddick.
Did it have a real poker room?
Yes. Live, player-versus-player poker and tournaments were central to the former business. The poker room is no longer operating at this location.
Does it have a sportsbook?
No. The closed property has no on-property retail sportsbook.
Can I use its old hours or tournament schedule?
No. Those schedules do not apply to an operating room today. Choose another destination and confirm its own hours, games, and costs.
Historical scope
Descriptions of this Orange Lake venue’s games and amenities refer to its former operation. The receipts comparison covers fiscal year 2022–2023, and the building-condition report dates to July 2025. Neither describes services available to visitors today.
Poker room and sportsbook
There is no on-site sportsbook.