Colorado Seeks to Outlaw Live Greyhound Racing Betting with New Legal Move

A new legislative action was brought and passed by the House Finance Committee in the Centennial State on Monday. Should the measure succeed, Colorado will become the latest to end betting on a sport that many see as cruel.

While there are only two active racetracks left, both owned by Delaware North, which is a Buffalo-based company, Colorado is determined to act, responding to concerns about animal welfare. Both racetracks though are out of state, in West Virginia. The latest legal action brought by house majority leader Monica Duran and fellow lawmakers addresses what they believe is a loophole. Commenting for Courthouse News Service, Duran said:

We outlawed live greyhound racing as a legislature nine years ago, however, we left a loophole in place that is unfortunately contributing to the suffering and deaths of dogs.

House majority leader Monica Duran

The original proposal to ban greyhound racing was issued in 2014, but it indeed allowed for simulcast betting on the sport to continue – not so much as a loophole, though, but rather as a way to fund a greyhound rescue program. The latest attempt though, named “Prohibit Wagering on Simulcast Greyhound Races” seems to be a fairly straightforward matter for the legislative, as it’s enjoying support both in the Senate and the House, which should guarantee its passage.

Horse Racing Industry to Be Similarly Impacted

Of course, there have been those to speak up against the measure. Horse breeders and racers have said that introducing a ban on simulcasting from October 1, 2024, could prove too short a notice for the state’s horse racing industry to secure an alternative source of funding.

While intended for greyhound races, the bill can have serious implications for the horse racing industry just as well. There has indeed been a gap in the way the greyhound and horse racing industries have been reformed, Carey Thiel from Grey2K USA, a rescue organisation for greyhounds told the Courthouse News Service. This gap is finally being closed.

Meanwhile, the Colorado bill wants to address eh businesses hosting simulcast races more so than address online gambling head-on. Some states have already been banning local operators from processing bets from states where the sport is not legal, for example.