Beti Jai fronton by architect Joaquín Rucoba (1844-1919), author of the Plaza de toros de La Malagueta, the Mercado de Atarazanas and park in Málaga, and the City Hall of Bilbao, among other works. It was the fourth infrastructure of these open features in Madrid at the end of the 19th century, in a time when the sport of Basque pelota reached a remarkable popularity in the Spanish capital. It was preceded, in this order, the frontons Jai Alai (1891), Fiesta Alegre and Euskal Jai. It was opened on April 29 of 1894 (other sources indicate the May 29 of the same year)
Jai alai behind the serving line, then with the cesta "basket" hurl it towards the front wall so it bounces from there to between lines 4 and 7 on the floor. The ball is then in play. The ball used in jai alai consists of metal strands tightly wound together and then wrapped in goat skin. Teams alternate catching the ball in their cesta and throwing it "in one fluid motion" without holding or juggling it. The ball must be caught either on the fly or after bouncing once on the floor. A team scores a point if an opposing player: The