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Colorado bans simulcast wagering on greyhounds

From GREY2KUSA.org
June 2023

On Friday afternoon, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law HB 1041, a measure to outlaw remote wagering on greyhounds.

Led by Executive Director Carey Theil and Advocacy Director Patrick Baga, the passage of HB 1041 is part of a growing national trend. In fact, the Centennial State is the fourth to outlaw or restrict simulcast and account wagering on greyhounds in the last 18 months, following Kansas, Oregon and Massachusetts.

There were once five dog tracks in Colorado and the last race was held at Mile High Greyhound Park on June 28, 2008. A prohibition on live racing followed in 2014. Now, thanks to the dedication of Representative Monica Duran (and with the dogged help of Roland Halpern and Colorado Voters for Animals!) all betting and wagering on greyhounds will be prohibited.

Just last year, Colorado gamblers placed more than $22.3 million on simulcast dog races, the fifth-highest mark in the country. Local bettors were propping up West Virginia races where more than 11,000 greyhounds have been injured and 500 dogs died since 2008. Bets on races at Mexico’s Agua Caliente were also a mainstay of the Colorado “handle.”

The walls are closing in on the final remnants of American dog racing.

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