JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida voters stopped greyhound racing with Amendment 13 back in 2018. It passed 69% to 30%.
The remaining 18 tracks are still open after the vote shut down all, as of last year, 2020.
Greyhound racing is still happening at four tracks in three different states across the U.S: Iowa and Arkansas, pledging to end in 2022, and in West Virginia.
On top of that, even though Florida voters clearly said they oppose greyhound racing on tracks in the state, you can still bet on races at places, such as Bestbet in Jacksonville.
A schedule on its website in mid-July, 2021 shows a greyhound race to bet on at 1 p.m. in Wheeling and another at 6:30 in Iowa. You can also bet on greyhound racing in Caliente, which is a track in Tijuana, Mexico.
But now in Congress, a bill called The Greyhound Protection Act aims to establish a federal law banning greyhound racing in the United States and betting virtually on tracks around the country and the world.
Carey Theil, Executive Director of GREY2KUSA, a group opposing greyhound racing, supports the bill. "America shouldn't be supporting cruel dog racing in Mexico," he says.
Congressman Mike Walz is a co-sponsor of the bill. His district includes parts of Flagler and St. Johns Counties. He says, "It is time to end it finally and be done with it."
A First Coast News investigation in 2018 broke the story that state lab testing showed cocaine metabolites in dogs racing in Florida, including at the Bestbet in Orange Park. The stories made headlines and led up to Amendment 13.
Now supporters of the Greyhound Protection Act hope the nation should follow suit.
Theil says, "It is time the U.S. took the lead on greyhound welfare the same way Florida has."
First Coast News reached out to Bestbet president, Jamie Shelton. His spokesman told us he would have no comment.
