2006 National Report

ALABAMA
Birmingham Race Course
Exit 31 off I-459
Birmingham, AL 35210
Mobile Greyhound Park
7101 Old Pascagoula Road
Theodore, AL 36590
Victoryland
8680 County Road 40
Shorter, AL 36075
ARIZONA
Phoenix Greyhound Park
3801 East Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Tucson Greyhound Park
2601 South 3rd Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85713
ARKANSAS
Southland Gaming & Racing
1550 North Ingram Boulevard
West Memphis, AR 72301
COLORADO
Mile High Racing & Entertainment
6200 Dahlia Street
Commerce City, CO 80022
Mardi Gras Racetrack & Gaming Center
841 North Federal Highway
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
Melbourne Greyhound Park
1100 North Wickham Road
Melbourne, FL 32935
Naples-Ft. Myers Greyhound Track
10601 Bonita Beach Road Southwest
Bonita Springs, FL 34135
Orange Park Kennel Club
US 17 South & Wells Road
Orange Park, FL 32073
Palm Beach Kennel Club
1111 North Congress Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Pensacola Greyhound Track
951 Dogtrack Road
Pensacola, FL 42506
Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club, Inc.
301 Dog Track Road
Longwood, FL 32750
Sarasota Kennel Club
5400 Bradenton Road
Sarasota, FL 34234
St. Johns Greyhound Park
US 1 & Racetrack Road
Jacksonville, FL 32259
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Hinsdale Greyhound Park
Route 119
Hinsdale, NH 03451
Seabrook Greyhound Park
Route 107, New Zealand Road
Seabrook, NH 03874
RHODE ISLAND
Twin River
100 Twin River Road
Lincoln, RI 02865
IOWA
Bluffs Run Greyhound Park
2701 23rd Avenue
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
WISCONSIN
Dairyland Greyhound Park
1-94 at Highway 158
Kenosha, WI 53144
Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino
1855 Greyhound Park Drive
Dubuque, IA 52201
CONTACTS
The Woodlands
9700 Leavenworth Road
Kansas City, KS 66109
MASSACHUSETTS
Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park
1958 Broadway
Raynham, MA 02767
Wonderland Greyhound Park
190 V.F.W. Parkway
Revere, MA 02151
American Greyhound Track Operators Association
Dennis Bicsak
1111 N. Congress Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
(561) 688-5799
dbicsak@adelphia.net
t o
t h e
I n d u s t r y ’ s
C o m m u n i t y
Why run when you can fly?
American Greyhound Council
National Greyhound Association
Gary Guccione
P.O. Box 543
Abilene, KS 67410
785-263-4600
garyg@ngagreyhounds.com
Media Contact
Peggy Mackinnon
(303) 320-6082
peggymack@comcast.net
This report has been produced by the
American Greyhound Track Operators Association
A G T O A M e m b e r Tr a c k s
R e p o r t
R a c i n g
WEST VIRGINIA
Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center
1 Greyhound Drive
Cross Lanes, WV 25313
Derby Lane
10490 Gandy Boulevard
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Jacksonville Kennel Club, Inc.
1440 North McDuff Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32254
G r e y h o u n d
6
Valley Race Park
2601 South Ed Carey Drive
Harlingen, TX 78552
Wheeling Downs Racetrack and Gaming Center
1 South Stone Street
Wheeling Island
Wheeling, WV 26003
KANSAS
Wichita Greyhound Park
1500 East 77th Street
Valley Center, KS 67147
0
Gulf Greyhound Park
1000 FM 2004
LaMarque, TX 77568
Tampa Greyhound Track
8300 Nebraska Avenue
Tampa, FL 33604
Flagler Greyhound Park
401 North West 38th Court
Miami, FL 33126
0
TEXAS
Corpus Christi Greyhound Race Track
5302 Leopard Street
Corpus Christi, TX 78408
FLORIDA
Daytona Beach Kennel Club, Inc.
2201 International Speedway Boulevard
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Ebro Greyhound Park
6558 Dog Track Road
Ebro, FL 32437
2
While racing or in retirement, greyhounds love to run.
Funding Critical Community Ser vices
The taxes paid by greyhound racetracks to the cities and states where
they are located generate significant revenue to help pay for critical
community services. The tracks employ thousands of people and
purchase goods and services from local businesses.
President’s message
In 2006, local, county and state
economies continued to reap benefits
from the greyhound racing industry.
Two communities experienced job
and revenue growth from the
expansion of gaming options:
Mardi Gras Racetrack & Gaming
Center in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
and Southland Park Gaming &
Racing in West Memphis, Ark.
We anticipate that as municipal and
state governments seek additional
funding sources, they will recognize
the benefit of expanding gaming
operations at licensed and regulated
facilities with an established record
of community support.
During the year, two communities were negatively impacted by the
inability of tracks to expand gaming options to compete with nearby
casinos. Both Shoreline Star and Plainfield Greyhound Track in
Connecticut closed, costing communities jobs and revenue.
Our industry is very proud of the strides we have made in the care
and treatment of both racing and retired greyhounds. Each year,
we fund programs to improve racing surfaces to make them as
safe as possible for greyhound athletes and to seek advancements in
veterinary medicine. For example, the industry is funding an ongoing
research project to develop a vaccine to eliminate kennel cough,
a disease that continued to necessitate quarantines at tracks across
the country. Once the vaccine is developed, it can be used to prevent
this ailment in all dog breeds.
One of the initiatives in which we are most proud is our commitment
to greyhound adoption. Through track sponsored adoption programs
and by working with volunteer adoption groups that share our goal
of placing retired greyhounds in homes as pets, we’ve been able to
make a tremendous difference. While all adoption groups deserve
recognition, it would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the
extraordinary efforts of Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) to bring
back to the U.S. greyhounds that crossed the border to race in Juarez,
Mexico. GPA spent countless hours and many sleepless nights to make
sure that each of these greyhounds safely crossed the border and were
placed in homes as pets. We all owe the organization and its
volunteers a debt of gratitude.
Everyone Benefits from Gaming Expansion
Local communities benefit from the expansion of wagering options
at greyhound racetracks through increased taxes and additional
employment. Today patrons are enjoying slot machine wagering at
seven tracks with three others scheduled to operate in 2007-2008.
At 12 other tracks customers can play poker as well as watch live
greyhound racing and simulcast performances of greyhounds,
horses and jai alai.
Breeders and Kennel Operators Support Local Economies
Not as obvious as greyhound racetracks, but equally as
important to local economies, are greyhound kennels and the
800 breeding farms in 31 states. These small, often family-run
businesses invest more than $150 million in land, buildings
and equipment. They purchase local services and products
worth approximately $96 million each year.
Employment
14,957 Employees
$ 194,711,148 Annual payroll
Taxes
$ 18,485,307 Payroll tax
$ 10,673,701 Property tax
$
5,072,588 Sales & use tax
$ 12,590,382 Corporate income tax
$ 40,232,215 Pari-mutuel tax
$
3,528,121 Licenses and permits
$ 181,313,138 All other taxes†
$ 271,895,452 Total 2005 taxes
Richard Winning
President
Purchasing $ 356,973,054 Spent on vendors
Purses
$ 104,844,807 Paid in purses
Simulcast horse handle $660,824,700 Wagered on horse races
† Includes taxes from other forms of wagering.
10,000> 100,000>
1,000,000>
10,000,000>
100,000,000>
1,000,000,000>
C a r i n g f o r O u r Fa s t F r i e n d s
The greyhound racing industry
nurtures the welfare of greyhounds
from the time they are born until
they retire. To ensure the best
standard of care, the American
Greyhound Track Operators
Association (AGTOA) and the
National Greyhound Association
(NGA) have established guidelines
for its members. The AGTOA
adopted a Statement of Standards
and Principles (at right) and
the NGA has established
comprehensive care guidelines
that include nutrition, diet, exercise
and health management.
Fa s t F r i e n d s f o r L i f e
American Greyhound Track Operators Association
Statement of Standards and Principles
We, as members of the American Greyhound Track Operators Association,
have pledged ourselves to the following standards and principles to ensure
the responsible care and humane treatment of all racing greyhounds:
• All greyhounds shall be housed in comfortable, clean, safe
and well-ventilated kennels.
• All greyhounds shall receive plentiful and healthful food and water.
• All greyhounds shall be provided appropriate exercise in clean,
safe turnout pens and sprint fields.
• All greyhounds shall be trained using artificial lures.
• All greyhounds shall receive prompt veterinary care.
• All racetrack surfaces shall be groomed and maintained daily to ensure
the health and safety of the racing greyhounds.
• All greyhounds shall be trained and cared for by qualified, competent
and responsible personnel according to established animal welfare guidelines.
• All tracks shall enact policies and enforcement procedures that include penalties
for violation of proper animal welfare procedures.
• All member tracks shall require that proper documentation be filed with
and approved by the Racing Secretary and/or General Manager of the track before
any greyhound may be removed from track premises. The documentation shall
confirm and verify that the greyhound in question has been:
– Transferred to another greyhound racetrack for purposes of continued racing;
– Returned to the original owner or breeding farm for pet or breeding purposes; or
– Upon retirement, placed into an in-house, local or
nationally recognized adoption program.
Industry-funded programs include:
Sponsoring a Canine Bone Cancer Study:
This three-year study by the Morris Animal Foundation, the largest
non-profit foundation dedicated to animal research, is designed to
determine how radiation and chemotherapy might ease pain in dogs
suffering from bone cancer.
The National Greyhound Association (NGA),
a voluntary non-profit association,
is recognized by the greyhound racing
industry as the sole registry for racing
greyhounds in North America.
www.ngagreyhounds.com
Publishing “Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound”:
Researched and written by noted greyhound veterinarians, the second
edition of this comprehensive guide for trainers, breeders, veterinarians
and pet owners is now available. To purchase a copy of this invaluable
resource, call 785-263-4660.
Updating the International Greyhound Research Database:
This database of worldwide greyhound research is available at
www.agcouncil.com.
Co-sponsoring the Greyhound Safety and Track Surface
Maintenance Symposium:
Ensuring racetrack surfaces are designed to prevent injuries is a focus
of this annual seminar that brings together track personnel and leading
experts on greyhound safety and racing surfaces.
Sponsoring Veterinarian Education Programs:
The Canine Sports Medicine Symposium
provides veterinarians the opportunity to share
their knowledge and develop new methods to treat
and care for racing and retired greyhounds.
Maintaining a Web-based Hot Line to Monitor
Disease Outbreaks:
The Greyhound Health Research and Information
Network (www.ghrin.org), developed and managed
by Brad Fenwick, DMV Ph.D., monitors disease
outbreaks at tracks, provides information about
greyhound health and serves as a forum to address
health-related questions about pet greyhounds.
Ensuring Farm Standards are Met:
Solely funded by the industry,
the American Greyhound Council
(AGC) institutes and administers
greyhound welfare programs
and issues grants to support
greyhound welfare initiatives.
Since its inception, the AGC
has provided more than $7
million in greyhound welfare
program funding.
To ensure industry greyhound welfare standards are followed, an
inspector makes unannounced visits to breeding farms. Since the
program’s inception in 1992, 72 individuals have been banned from
the sport and three were banned in 2006.
“I’ve been working with greyhounds
for 31 years and they receive better
care today than ever before.”
Jerry Gregory, DVM
St. Petersburg, Florida
The American Greyhound Council (AGC)
a partnership of members of the
AGTOA and NGA, was formed in 1987 to
administer greyhound welfare programs. It
develops, funds and oversees programs to
ensure the welfare of greyhounds on the
farm, at the track and upon retirement.
www.agcouncil.com
Finding Homes
for Retired Racers
These programs include:
Investing in Our Communities
Supporting Greyhound Adoption Volunteers:
The greyhound racing industry gives time and money to improve the
communities in which it does business. In 2006, nearly 1,500 charities
received contributions of $6.2 million. Track operators and employees
serve on non-profit boards and donate their time and track facilities to
community organizations.
The industry provided grants to 58 non-profit volunteer adoption
groups to assist them in caring for or placing retired greyhounds as
pets. These volunteers provide a critical link between the greyhound
racing industry and potential adopters.
Promoting Greyhound Adoption at Racetracks:
Greyhound racetrack operators are committed to placing retired racers
in homes as pets. Tracks sponsor their own on-site adoption programs
or are affiliated with non-profit greyhound adoption organizations.
The tracks sponsor activities and promotions to increase awareness
of what wonderful pets greyhounds make.
Due to the care, attention and
affection greyhounds receive
while racing, they make great
pets when retired. The greyhound
racing industry has made
tremendous strides in its support
of greyhound adoption, which has
become an integral part of the
industry. In 2006, the industry
spent $1,435,194 on greyhound
adoption activities both at
racetracks and in support of
unaffiliated, non-profit
adoption programs.
Providing Education to Pet Owners:
The largest annual gathering of greyhound pet owners at Dewey Beach,
Del. provides an opportunity for leading veterinarians and animal
behaviorists to present educational programs on the latest
developments in greyhound pet care.
Improving the Greyhound Adoption Process:
As part of her doctoral thesis at Oregon State University, Zelda
Zimmerman is studying the demographics of people who have adopted
retired greyhounds. The information will be used to target potential
adopters and to make the placement process more efficient.
Funding a Pet Adoption Hot Line:
An 800-number, managed by volunteers from Greyhound Pets of
America (the largest non-profit adoption organization), provides easy
nationwide access to people interested in adopting greyhounds.
To adopt a greyhound, call 1-800-466-1GPA.
"To be in the Navy you must be fit.
Emmy helps to keep me that way!"
M. D. Krutar, USN
“The AGC has always been there for
Halfway Home Adoption when we’ve
needed funding for projects like our
new climate-controlled greyhound
adoption kennel.”
Teddy Palmer
Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption
Tulsa, Oklahoma
“The effort of the greyhound racing
industry to provide a pathway to
placing greyhounds into homes as
pets has been a real plus.”
Gary Yocham, DMV
Arizona Medical Veterinary
Association Member
Andrea Winning of Derby Lane presents a check
to All Children's Hospital.
“Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County
sub-contracts the foundation, electrical and
plumbing. The rest of the house is built with
volunteer labor. The Palm Beach Kennel Club
provided funds, as well as over 500 hours of
volunteer labor. We are very grateful.”
Lisa Archer
Director of Development
Habitat for Humanity of Palm Beach County
The American Greyhound Track
Operators Association (AGTOA),
formed in 1946, is a non-profit
corporation composed of the owners and
operators of greyhound tracks located
throughout the United States.
www.agtoa.com