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 Greyhound racing is in a steep decline in the US. In just ten years the number of racing tracks has been reduced by half from 50 tracks in 15 states to just 25 tracks in 7 states. Revenues from greyhound tracks have dropped by more than $2 billion since 1991 and many tracks have begun transitioning into casinos and poker rooms in order to stay afloat.
Many reasons have been given for the steep decline. The aging of racing fans and animal activist campaigns have hurt interest in the sport and competition from other forms of gambling combined with the poor economy certainly hasn't helped matters. Animal activists have been campaigning against greyhound racing since the 1970s and despite the fact that frequent inspections have shown that the vast majority of dogs are treated humanely and feed properly activists have maintain that it's time to end racing all together.
Last year, seven race tracks closed their doors and estimates are that more than 1,000 greyhounds were left without homes. This comes at a very bad time because adoption rates are already down in the U.S. because of the economy. The American Society for the Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals estimates that owners have been forced to abandon as many as 2 million pets since the recession hit in 2007. With so many dogs needing homes a new nonprofit organization, greyhoundscentral.org has been launched in order to keep greyhounds from ending up in pounds where they could be put down.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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