File photo Greyhounds race at the Wheeling Island Dog Track in this undated photo.
CHARLESTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives members are making another attempt at phasing out greyhound racing at West Virginia’s two tracks, but state and federal lawmakers called them out.
Republican and Democratic House members announced Thursday that they are re-introducing H.R. 3894, the Greyhound Protection Act.
The latest version of the Greyhound Protection Act would amend the Animal Welfare Act to ban greyhound racing in the U.S. and make gambling on greyhound racing illegal. The bill would outlaw remote gambling on greyhound races and prohibit the transport and sale of greyhounds across state lines for the purpose of racing.
Cardenas, a known animal welfare advocate, is a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and has introduced similar bills over the years.
“Greyhound racing is a cruel, dying industry that deserves no place in our country,” Cardenas said in a statement. “These dogs are often forced into brutal training regimes and races where they risk serious injury and death. When they are not racing or training, these animals are often subject to horrifying, inhumane treatment such as drugging, electrocution, and confinement for up to 23 hours a day.”
Since 2020, West Virginia has the only remaining greyhound tracks in the nation at Mardi Gras Casino and Resort near Charleston and Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack. Both are owned by Delaware North. Voters in Ohio and Kanawha counties approved table games at Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island in 2007, but only as long as the casinos had racing.
In statement provided Friday, Delaware North said there are no immediate plans to end greyhound racing, but the company is not opposed to ending greyhound racing if required to do so.
West Virginia’s two members of Congress — 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., and 1st District Congresswoman Carol Miller, R-W.Va. –said they do not support the Greyhound Protection Act. “Greyhound racing has a rich history in the state of West Virginia,” Mooney said. “Decisions related to the future of dog tracks in the state should be made by the state government and the private sector.”
With West Virginia having the last two remaining greyhound tracks, the handle — the amount of money wagered on greyhound racing — has increased over the last four years. The handle at Mardi Gras for calendar year 2022 was more than $124 million, a 153% increase from $49 million in 2019. The 2022 handle at Wheeling Island was more than $233 million, a 207% increase from $76 million in 2019. However, handle numbers at both casinos are down slightly from calendar year 2021.
According to Cardenas, the Greyhound Protection Act has the support of more than 250 animal rights groups, including GREY2K USA Worldwide, a group that has pushed to end greyhound racing in West Virginia for years.
“Greyhound racing is cruel from start to finish,” said Christine A. Dorchak, president and general counsel of GREY2K USA Worldwide. “The Greyhound Protection Act will give greyhounds the second chance they deserve and put a rightful end to over 100 years of callous exploitation. As dog racing fades in the United States, it is moving across the border and the criminality of greyhound racing is particularly attractive to cartel affiliated groups trying to capitalize on it.”
According to GREY2K, commercial greyhound racing is illegal in 42 states, and seven states have ceased live greyhound racing, with Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas being the most recent states. Since 2001, 46 greyhound tracks have closed nationwide. GREY2K has accused the greyhound industry of mistreatment of the dogs, using live lures to train animals, and fostering an underground dog trade that benefits international crime syndicates and drug cartels.
House Minority Whip Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, pushed back against claims by GREY2K about abuse of greyhounds in a statement Friday.
“The greyhound industry is doing record numbers in West Virginia and safety is paramount. Quite frankly, it has a better job performance than Congress,” Fluharty said. “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. Facts matter and are more important than poorly run public relations campaigns against this industry.”
GREY2K attempted to push through a bill during the 2020 legislative session that would have eliminated a fund stream for greyhound racing in the hopes of hastening the industry’s demise in West Virginia.
Senate Bill 285 would have eliminated the West Virginia Greyhound Breeding Development Fund by July 1 by eliminating the transfer of wagers on table games and video lottery machines to the fund. Instead, the bill would have transferred that funding to the Excess Lottery Revenue Fund for distribution by the Legislature.
The bill would have also used the remaining money in the Greyhound Breeding Development Fund to retrain workers in the greyhound industries in the state, promote adoption of greyhounds used at the two racetracks, and provide a one-time $500 tax credit for West Virginians who adopted greyhounds. According to the fiscal note for the bill, the state would have gained $17.4 million in revenue if the breeding fund was eliminated.
Senate Bill 285 failed in the state Senate in 2020 by a 11-23 vote. Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, was one of the nay votes on the bill.
“Once again, here is Washington trying to dictate to West Virginia what it can and cannot do,” Weld said by Friday. “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.”
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