USA, AZ: New law lets Tucson Greyhound Park cut required num

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From www.azcentral.com

New law lets Tucson Greyhound Park cut required number of races

by Alex Stuckey - Jul. 12, 2012 10:08 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

Tucson Greyhound Park's faded aqua, pink and purple bleachers groaned not
under the weight of excited racing junkies but with the wind as thunder
rolled over the empty stadium.

A faint recording crackled over the loudspeaker, enthusiastically welcoming
a crowd that wasn't there. A black-and-white sign sat atop the betting
counter: "Closed."

The barren, crumbling park is now just a remnant of its heyday, indicative
of the dwindling dog-track industry across North America. The number of
racetracks has dropped 60 percent since 1992, said Gary Guccione, the
National Greyhound Association's executive director.

Since the 1980s, the number of Arizona greyhound tracks has shrunken from
five to one. But a new law allowing the reduction of live-racing days to 100
per year, from 200, could help the park stay open in the event of serious
financial hardship.

"It's there if we need it; it's like life insurance," said Tom Taylor, CEO
and general manager of the Tucson park. "You never want to use it, but you
want to have it."

Both park officials and greyhound advocates are happy about the possible
reduction of racing days.

"This measure is great for both the business and animal-rights people. It
means less racing, which they both want," said Sen. Michele Reagan,
R-Scottsdale, the bill's sponsor.

Guccione opposed the legislation. He's concerned about the impact.

"Live racing is our bread and butter," he said. "Once you start cutting into
that, who knows where it might stop?"

The decline of racing

Gone are the days of a thriving dog-racing industry, where bettors came out
in droves to place a price on the speedy, long-legged animals.

In its place sits a run-down Tucson park with chipped paint, cracking roofs
and grimy yellow walls.

Across the country, betting on greyhound racing dropped from $3.5 billion to
$1.1 billion between 1991 and 2007, according to a 2011 Associated Press
story.

Arizona is one of seven states that allows dog racing, said Christine
Dorchak, president, treasurer and general counsel of Grey2K USA, a national
non-profit working to end dog racing. But Arizona's industry is fading fast.

Nolan Thompson, assistant director of enforcement and operations for the
Arizona Department of Racing, couldn't provide the amount of money the
industry generates in the state.

"It's dwindling," Thompson said. "The economy has a lot to do with it."

The decline began in the 1990s.

High-stakes bingo became increasingly popular, causing damage to Arizona
tracks' revenue. Tucson park officials said at the time the amount wagered
was about $84,000, but
<http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/ ... 26tucson-g
reyhound-park-law-cut-required-races.html> gaming at a nearby reservation
caused it to drop to $64,000.

Greyhound-track officials went to Arizona lawmakers in the early 2000s
requesting permission to install similar bingo
<http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/ ... 26tucson-g
reyhound-park-law-cut-required-races.html> games in their facilities, but
lawmakers refused, instead allowing off-location betting, called
simulcasting.

The move allowed people to wager not only at the track but also at satellite
locations, such as bars. People off-track can bet on races at their local
track as well as across the country. Tucson has seven off-track betting
locations.

Legislation

This year's legislation to allow tracks to cut back on races brought
together two opposing sides.

Previously, the state required tracks to have nine races a day, four days a
week, for 50 weeks, in order to keep simulcasting.

But the "just in case" measure would allow the park to decrease its racing
days to 100 throughout the entire year and continue to have simulcasting. If
the majority of the kennel owners agree, they can reduce the days even
further.

"We passed this law to let (track officials) start planning in case market
conditions change and they need to respond to it," lobbyist Michael Racy
said, adding that the plan was never to immediately shorten the racing
season.

Dorchak, with the greyhound-advocacy group, is disappointed races won't be
cut immediately. She said they may consider pursuing a ballot measure to ban
dog racing altogether.

"As long as racing continues, greyhounds will suffer and sometimes die so
people can put a $2 bet on them," she said. "It's cruel and inhumane."

Tucson

Greyhounds dash around the Tucson track at 40 miles per hour many more days
than the state minimum requires: 13 times per day, 6 days per week, from
January to December. About 400 dogs run each week.

But as greyhounds lined up behind the dingy start gates Tuesday, only a few
straggling fans wandered into the park to place a $2 bet on a dog.

One man sat at a table outside, cheering on a race in Daytona Beach, Fla.,
oblivious to the live one going on behind him.

Despite the closures of other parks in the state, park CEO Taylor said he
isn't concerned for Tucson. In fact, it's helped his business.

The track has seen a decline in revenue since 2007 -- to $3.8 million in
fiscal 2011 from $5.1 million in fiscal 2007, Taylor said. But he said there
has been an uptick in revenue since 2009, when the Phoenix track closed.

"We have more animals now because we are the only track, so really we're in
better shape than before," he said. "We're doing fine right now."

__________________________________________________________
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Description: A recently created law will allow the last greyhound racing
track in Arizona to cut back on racing days but continue to simulcast if
they need to in order to stay open in the event of financial
hardship.Patrick Breen/The Republic

A recently created law will allow the last greyhound racing track in Arizona
to cut back on racing days but continue to simulcast if they need to in
order to stay open in the event of financial hardship.

_____

Arizona dog tracks

Tucson: Open.
Phoenix: Live racing shut down in 2009; off-track betting on other races
around the country continues.
Black Canyon: Closed 1982.
Apache Junction: Live racing shut down in 2004; off-track betting continues.
Yuma: Closed 1993.

Source: Arizona Republic research

North American tracks

1992: 60 tracks.
2012: 23 tracks.

Florida: 13.
Alabama: 2.
West Virginia: 2.
Iowa: 2.
Texas: 1.
Arkansas: 1.
Arizona: 1.
Caliente, Mexico: 1.

Source: Arizona Republic research