In some states like the dog-racing mecca of Florida in 2021, it was voter initiatives that ended the sport at the state’s dozen tracks. Since then, many more tracks have closed. Since then, increased concerns about how the dogs are treated along with an explosion of gambling options have nearly killed a sport that gained widespread appeal about a century ago.Ī racing association found that betting on greyhounds plunged from $3.5 billion in 1991 to about $500 million in 2014. It’s been a long slide for greyhound racing, which reached its peak in the 1980s when there were more than 50 tracks across 19 states. “It’s very hard for me to see this,” Rasnake said. By the end of the year there will only be two tracks left in the country. DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) - Vera Rasnake laughed as she led a trio of barking, jostling dogs into the Iowa Greyhound Park, but her smile faded when she acknowledged that after 41 years of being around the sleek animals, her sport was teetering on extinction.Īfter the end of a truncated season in Dubuque in May, the track here will close.
