Voters in the state of Florida decided by a margin of 69% to 31% to pass an amendment that will phase out greyhound racing at 11 tracks in the state by 2020.
DAVE CALDWELL: ‘As recently as 1991, $3.5bn was wagered legally at 60 greyhound tracks in 19 US states. But groups like Grey2K were established about 20 years ago hoping to bring about the end of the sport, in which they said the dogs were treated cruelly, often in an effort to cut costs. The Florida Department of Business and Regulation has reported that more than 460 dogs have died at tracks since the state first started gathering such information in 2013. Dogs that suffer serious injuries during races have often been euthanized…
So it was hardly perhaps hardly unexpected that opposition to greyhound racing was one of the few issues that could unite Floridians, who are notoriously divided and contentious on many other issues. Voters in the state decided by a margin of 69% to 31% to pass an amendment that will phase out greyhound racing at 11 tracks in the state by 2020. “It wasn’t an Republican thing, and it wasn’t a Democrat thing,” Dorchak said. “It was a dog thing.”
With the legalization of casino gambling in many states, and because the sport was seen as inhumane, greyhound racing largely had become an afterthought in the state anyway… Greyhound racing is to continue in five states – Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa and West Virginia – but the Florida ban is a huge hit for the sport… “People have been voting with their feet for years,” Dorchak said, adding, “The industry saw the handwriting on the wall. It is the happiest ending”.’ SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: