Record breaking US greyhound racing tracks at West Virginia under yet another threat
A group of bipartisan United States (US) House of Representatives members have once again drawn their legislative bows, targeting the last remaining bastions of greyhound racing in the country.
The crosshairs are firmly set on the two remaining active greyhound race tracks in West Virginia.
But their aims have been met with strong resistance, both from state and federal lawmakers.
Reinvigorating their efforts, Republican and Democratic House members announced last Thursday the re-introduction of H.R. 3894, colloquially known as the Greyhound Protection Act.
This legislation is primarily backed by notable US. Reps. including Tony Cardenas, (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal, (D-Calif.), Zach Nunn, (R-Iowa), Nancy Mace, (R-S.C.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer, (R-Oregon), and Don Davis, (D-N.C.), who have lent their names as sponsors to the bill.
The proposal, if enacted, would represent a significant amendment to the Animal Welfare Act.
Its primary objective is to prohibit greyhound racing across the United States and outlaw any form of gambling associated with the sport.
Further, the legislation aims to criminalise remote wagering on greyhound races and restrict the transport and sale of greyhounds across state lines for racing purposes.
The bill is being pushed by Tony Cardenas, who was at one time, the centre of an alleged sexual misconduct claim which accused the congressman of sexually assaulting a minor when she was only 16 years-old.
The lawsuit was dropped “mysteriously” in 2019 according to US news reports, but not before Cardenas racked up almost USD $150,000 in legal expenses.
Cardenas, then came under fire over the origins of donations, after a defence fund set up to offset the legal costs, accepted thousands of dollars from a registered political lobbyist group.
Cardenas, a known animal welfare advocate, is a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and has introduced similar bills over the years.
The same bill introduced in 2020, and lobbied for by anti-greyhound racing zealots Grey2K, was comprehensively rejected in 2020.
The Act's proponents argue fervently against the industry's cruelty using the standard Grey2K script of mistruths, half-truths, and complete fabrications.
US Rep. Tony Cardenas has claimed greyhounds “are often subject to horrifying, inhumane treatment such as drugging, electrocution, and confinement”.
“This bipartisan bill will end the commercial greyhound racing industry, and the animal abuses it has become so associated with, once and for all,” he said.
The two remaining active US greyhound tracks are both in West Virginia, with one nestled within the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort near Charleston, and the Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack.
Both are owned by Delaware North, and the venues continue to operate under a mandate by Ohio and Kanawha counties in 2007, which allowed table games at these locations only if they also maintained greyhound racing.
While Delaware North has expressed no immediate intention to cease greyhound racing, they have demonstrated an openness to adapt to future legislative shifts.
Glen White, a spokesperson for the company, stated, “Delaware North continues to monitor legislative efforts to end greyhound racing in West Virginia and would support phasing out greyhound racing at our two casinos there if legislation passed that would allow us to operate the casinos without operating racing.”
However, this proposed legislation has faced stiff opposition from West Virginia's congressional delegation.
Both 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney, (R-W.Va.), and 1st District Congresswoman Carol Miller, (R-W.Va.), believe the fate of greyhound racing should be decided by the citizens of West Virginia, and not Washington.
Mooney, speaking in favour of the state's rich history of greyhound racing, asserted that the future of dog tracks should be determined by the state government and the private sector.
Despite the US greyhound racing industry's decline nationally, West Virginia's two remaining tracks have seen a surge in wagers over the last four years.
The wagering turnover on greyhound racing, rose to over USD $124 million at Mardi Gras in 2022, a staggering 153% increase from the USD $49 million wagered in 2019.
Similarly, the 2022 turnover at Wheeling Island exceeded $233 million, marking a 207% increase from the $76 million bet in 2019.
Despite Grey2K claims of greyhound racing being “illegal” or outlawed in many US states, a US state Florida court recently found that the practice of breeding, rearing and training greyhounds was not illegal in the state.
The ruling clarified that greyhound racing was not illegal in the state, the only thing that was banned was racing greyhounds in races where pari-mutuel betting was being conducted.
Presumably the door is still wide open for greyhound racing to be conducted in the state under fixed odds greyhound betting, or with remote betting at online sportsbooks outside the state.
Florida was one of the most recent states to approve an anti-greyhound racing bill, that became a political football, with entertainment and tourist businesses in the state supporting the bill as they saw greyhound racing as a competitor to the increasingly tight entertainment budgets among Americans.
Cardenas' Greyhound Protection Act has garnered the support of over 250 animal rights groups, including Grey2K.
Grey2K alleges that the industry is rife with mistreatment of the dogs, use of live lures for training, and a fostering of an underground dog trade that benefits international crime syndicates and drug cartels.
Critics of Grey2K, and the proposed Act, argue that the claims of abuse are exaggerated and that the industry in West Virginia is thriving.
Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, (R-Brooke), who owns an adopted greyhound himself, said “Once again, here is Washington trying to dictate to West Virginia what it can and cannot do,” Weld said.
“We had a bill a couple of years ago … that would have effectively ended greyhound racing, and that bill went down to a pretty strong defeat in the Senate.
“The legislators who are responsible and elected here in West Virginia made it clear that there wasn't an interest in ending greyhound racing.”
House Minority Whip Shawn Fluharty, (D-Ohio), stated, “The greyhound industry is doing record numbers in West Virginia and safety is paramount.
“Quite frankly, it has a better job performance than Congress.
“I would invite anyone supporting this bill to visit Wheeling.
“They would see climate-controlled kennels and dogs under strict veterinary care who get adopted at nearly 100% rate upon retirement.
“They would see generations of families working in the industry and giving back to our community.
Fluharty, wasn't mincing his words, when he left a parting shot at Canderas and Grey2K.
“Facts matter and are more important than poorly run public relations campaigns against this industry,” he said.
The collapse of greyhound racing in the USA is quite clear with the entire industry down to just 2 tracks owned by Delaware North Corp who has already closed their other tracks without legislative force. Adoption groups are already tooling up the importation of their beloved breed to admiring fans. USA federal legislation is in the works for a national ban on dog racing and support is skyrocketing from all sides of the political spectrum. The bill will soon be stacked on other legislation that will be targeted to aid for farms and Delaware North will have the desired uncoupling… Read more »