Fontainebleau to Introduce Pro Pickleball to Las Vegas Strip

Fontainebleau will host the Las Vegas Strip’s first professional pickleball tournament.

The Las Vegas Pickleball Cup, part of the Professional Pickleball Association Tour, will be played at the north Strip resort from August 27 through September 1.

And yes, there is a Professional Pickleball Association. It was founded in 2018. It offers more than $5.5 million in annual prize money to its men and women tour players, and is the first pickleball organization available on the sports betting market.

“We pride ourselves on being industry leaders in the live event, sporting, and entertainment space,” Fedor Banuchi, Fontainebleau’s senior VP of entertainment, said in a press release. “So to be able to play host to one of the fastest-growing sports in the world is an honor.”

Pickleball was named the fastest-growing sport in the US by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in 2023, when it was estimated to have nearly 5 million players.

Pickled to Death

Invented in 1965 in Washington State, pickleball is a racket or paddle game in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) hit a hollow plastic ball net until one side either can’t return the ball or commits an infraction.

The sport entered Webster’s Dictionary as a word in 1973.

While at first glance, pickleball resembles a smaller tennis, or a larger ping-pong, its rules differ significantly from both.

The Las Vegas Pickleball Cup will be held inside the Fontainebleau’s 105,000 square-foot Royal Ballroom, which is carpeted and features no potentially obstructive support beams.

Players can register here for $95 plus a $40 event fee per entry. Spectator tickets are $25 here.