In 2017, the effort to save greyhound racing in West Virginia won by a nose at the wire. Both the House of Delegates and the Senate passed a bill eliminating the multi-million-dollar subsidy to dog racing, but Gov. Jim Justice vetoed it.
In 2020, greyhound racing won by a mile. What was projected to be a close Senate vote on a bill to defund the greyhound breeder’s fund turned into a laugher. The opponents of SB 285 — the supporters of dog racing — defeated the bill 23 to 11.
So even as greyhound racing continues to decline — after the phase out of tracks in Florida and Arkansas there will be only five left in the country — the industry has picked up political support in West Virginia.
Three years ago, the state Senate approved the defunding bill 19 to 15. Since then, several new senators were elected, but more importantly, eight senators who voted in 2017 in favor of the bill to end the subsidy voted Wednesday against ending the payments, which range from $15 million to $17 million annually.
The money comes from casino revenue. It is deposited with the West Virginia Lottery and then distributed to greyhound racing. While it may not be taxpayer dollars, it is still public money, which the Legislature, if it chose, could appropriate elsewhere.
What happened?
The Senate supporters of greyhound racing worked tirelessly to round up votes. Sens. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, and Bill Ihlenfeld, D-Ohio, formed a bipartisan team that kept the pressure on their fellow lawmakers.
The two consistently reinforced several points: The annual allocation to dog racing is not taxpayer dollars and closing the two tracks in Wheeling and Nitro would mean the loss of hundreds of jobs, the racing dogs are well cared for and West Virginia tracks will see an increase in business as other greyhound tracks across the country shut down.
Support for the bill came largely from the international anti-dog racing organization GREY2K. It hired former Senate attorney Richie Heath to shepherd the bill through the Legislature, but he could not overcome the persuasive tag-team of Weld and Ihlenfeld.
Additionally, bill supporters in the Senate did not use what would have been an emotional — but somewhat misleading — argument. The Legislature wants to find additional money for per diem payments for foster families. Bill supporters could have said, “Do you want to fund foster families or dog racing?”
The operator of the casinos with the two greyhound tracks did not get involved in the fight. Delaware North owns both Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Nitro, but it chose to stay on the sidelines.
It’s also worth noting that bill opponents successful planted the seed that if the state takes away the subsidy for dog racing, horse racing could be next.
Sens. Patricia Rucke, (R-Jefferson, and John Unger, D-Berkeley, who voted three years ago to discontinue the greyhound breeders fund, Wednesday voted against the bill. (One of the state’s two horse racing tracks is in Jefferson County.)
If you have ever been to a greyhound or horse track, you know there are multiple races. Greyhound supporters are understandably ecstatic and relieved after winning this race. However, they have already doubled down on future contests.
Weld and Ihlenfeld argued that interest in greyhound racing in West Virginia is increasing and more money is coming in from gamblers. There will undoubtedly be additional showdowns in the West Virginia Legislature in the years ahead where the greyhound industry and its supporters will again have to prove their mettle.
Hoppy Kercheval is a MetroNews anchor and the longtime host of “Talkline.” Contact him at hoppy.kercheval@wvradio.com.
