(SOUTHLAND CASINO RACING NEWS RELEASE) – Southland CasinoRacing and the Arkansas Greyhound Kennel Association have agreed to phase outlive greyhound racing at the popular West Memphis entertainment destinationover a three-year period, beginning next year and culminating by Dec. 31, 2022.
The agreement, which was recently unanimously approved bythe association and its 16 member kennels, calls for the number of races atSouthland to be reduced from its 2019 level of 6,656 races to 75 percent ofthat (4,992 races) in 2020, to 60% of that (3,994 races) in 2021 and to 40% ofthat (2,662 races) in 2022.
The agreement with the kennels had been contingent on theArkansas Racing Commission’s approval of a Southland petition confirming thatunder the Arkansas Casino Gaming Amendment of 2018, which was approved byvoters in November, Southland is not required to continue conducting livegreyhound racing in order to retain its casino license. The commission approvedthe petition earlier today.
The kennel association’s member contracts with Southland hadbeen set to expire at year’s end, prompting discussions on new contracts.Southland and the kennel association discussed the current national climate forlive greyhound racing and what that might mean to racing’s future in Arkansas.
Greyhound racing in the UnitedStates has seen a marked and steady decline and now exists in only six states.In November 2018, voters in Florida, one of the six states, passed Amendment 13to end live greyhound racing by 2021. The amendment passed 69 percent to 31percent. Independent polling has indicated that such an initiative would passif placed before Arkansas voters.
“The kennel association and Southland agreed that giventhese factors we needed an agreement that would provide certainty and clarityfor the future by ending live racing via an orderly process and on our ownterms,” said David Wolf, president and general manager of Southland CasinoRacing.
“We want to avoid a disruptive and abrupt end to live racingto the benefit of all parties, including everyone who has a job at stake,”added Robert Thorne, president of the Arkansas Greyhound Kennel Association.
Wolf said the gradual phase-out is also needed to provide along enough period of time to accommodate the adoption of about 1,200greyhounds that currently race at Southland. Both Southland and the kennelassociation are strong supporters of the Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option,which works to place retired Southland racing greyhounds in homes.
“We know it’s going to take time to adopt out thegreyhounds, and our commitment is to make sure every greyhound that has racedat Southland finds its forever home,” Wolf said.
Southland has been conducting live greyhound racing in WestMemphis since opening in 1956, and it became one of the most popular greyhoundracetracks in the country. Delaware North has had an ownership interest inSouthland since 1967.
In January, Southland will offer exclusive greyhound kennelbooking contracts to the 16 association member kennels for a term to runthrough 2022. Maximum and minimum numbers of greyhounds qualified for racingwill be established to align with the reduction in racing performances.Southland will not offer contracts to additional kennels that are not part ofthe association.