New Hampshire Bans Greyhound Simulcasts

Posted on: May 16, 2024, 05:45h. 

Last updated on: May 16, 2024, 10:07h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

On Tuesday, New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu signed a bill to prohibit greyhound simulcasting from Jan. 1, 2027. The state joins Kansas, Colorado, and Massachusetts in recently outlawing the broadcasts, in which races are streamed in real-time enabling bettors who are far from the racetrack to wager on races.

Greyhound racing, Simulcasting, New Hampshire, Connecticut
Greyhound racing is a dying sport in the US, with just two venues in the country, both in West Virginia, currently offering live racing. (Image: Racing Queensland)

Live greyhound racing has been illegal in New Hampshire since 2009, but the new law puts an end to all betting on greyhounds for good.

Currently, the racebook at the Brook in Seabrook is the only venue in the state offering simulcasting. New Hampshire carved simulcasting out of the 2009 ban as a way to protect the economic interests of the Brook, which was then known as Seabrook Greyhound Park.

In the ensuing years, the Brook has transformed itself into a flourishing casino, offering charitable gaming via sports betting and historical horse racing machines (HHRs). Greyhound simulcasting is no longer a crucial part of its business model.

Connecticut Bans Live Racing

The move comes a week after Connecticut’s Democratic Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill to ban live dog racing. His is the 43rd state to outlaw the sport.

There have been no active dog tracks in Connecticut since the closure of Plainfield Greyhound Park and Shoreline Star Greyhound Park in 2005, but the bill’s supporters wanted to ensure that the tracks could never reopen. Simulcasting remains legal in the state.

“Dog racing is a cruel activity and it has no place in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said in a statement. “It’s mindboggling to think that at one time people considered this a legitimate sport, and I give credit to animal advocacy groups for their activism that has raised awareness about the abuse and extreme conditions these dogs face, leading to bans in nearly every state across the country. Signing this bill is an easy decision.”

‘Walls Closing In’

The move represents another nail in the coffin for a dwindling sport in the US. Live dog racing is now confined to just two venues, Wheeling Island Casino & Racetrack and Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, both in West Virginia.

Florida, once the epicenter of the sport in America, discontinued greyhound racing at the end of 2020. That’s after residents voted to change the state constitution to ban betting on the sport. An overwhelming 69% of residents backed the amendment.

Arkansas’ last track, Southland, pulled the plug at the end of 2022.

“The walls are closing in on greyhound racing in the United States,” Carey Theil, executive director of GREY2K USA Worldwide, an advocacy group for greyhound protection, told Casino.org. “Betting on American dog races is down by a whopping 47% since 2019, and one state after another is severing ties with this cruel industry.”