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Posted on: June 12, 2023, 03:33h.
Final up to date on: June 12, 2023, 03:41h.
A federal invoice that might part out greyhound racing in West Virginia, the game’s final bastion within the US, hasn’t been welcomed by the state’s two members of Congress.
US Reps Alex Mooney (R) and Carol Miller (R) mentioned in separate statements that it must be all the way down to West Virginia to resolve whether or not to finish the races.
“Greyhound racing has a wealthy historical past within the state of West Virginia,” mentioned Mooney, as reported by The Wheeling Information-Register. “Choices associated to the way forward for canine tracks within the state must be made by the state authorities and the personal sector.”
‘Merciless, Dying Business’
The bipartisan invoice, the Greyhound Safety Act (GPA), would amend the federal Animal Welfare Act to ban greyhound racing and make wagering on races unlawful.
It was launched final Thursday by US Rep Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) amongst others. Cardenas is an animal rights campaigner who has sponsored beforehand unsuccessful incarnations of the GPA.
Greyhound racing is a merciless, dying trade that deserves no place in our nation,” Cardenas mentioned in a press release. “These canines are sometimes compelled into brutal coaching regimes and races the place they danger critical harm and demise. When they don’t seem to be racing or coaching, these animals are sometimes topic to horrifying, inhumane therapy equivalent to drugging, electrocution, and confinement for as much as 23 hours a day.”
Cardenas mentioned he hopes the invoice will “finish the industrial greyhound racing trade and the animal abuses it has turn into so related to, as soon as and for all.”
Final Two Standing
West Virginia has two greyhound racing tracks, together with one on the Mardi Gras On line casino & Resort close to Charleston and the opposite on the Wheeling Island Lodge On line casino Racetrack. Since Florida discontinued racing on the finish of 2020, and Arkansas’ final observe, Southland, pulled the plug on the finish of final 12 months, these are the one two left within the nation.
The closure of the competitors seems to have boosted betting deal with on the West Virginia tracks. Delaware North, the proprietor of each operations, instructed The Wheeling Information-Register that whereas there is no such thing as a plan to discontinue racing, the corporate wouldn’t be against ending racing if it had been required to take action by the federal authorities.
That’s as a result of the venues are allowed to supply playing video games equivalent to video lottery terminals (VLTs) and desk video games as a result of they’re racetracks. In actual fact, shedding racing and turning into a full-fledged on line casino, fairly than a “racino,” would seemingly show to be extra profitable in the long term.
“Delaware North continues to watch legislative efforts to finish greyhound racing in West Virginia and would assist phasing out greyhound racing at our two casinos there if laws handed that might enable us to function the casinos with out working racing,” mentioned spokesperson Glen White.
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