Post by Logan on Mar 2, 2016 5:04:19 GMT -6
Greyhound racing in West Virginia moved closer to its final finish line, with passage Tuesday in the Senate of a bill to eliminate state subsidies for the races as of July 1.
The bill (SB 641), which passed the Senate 29-5, would eliminate state subsidies for greyhound purse and breeder’s funds — funds that a Spectrum Racing Group study released in 2015 concluded accounts for more than 95 percent of total greyhound racing revenues.
According to the state Racing Commission, elimination of the subsidies would free up about $11.3 million to appropriate into the cash-strapped 2016-17 state budget. The bill also frees up another $10 million by eliminating the Racetrack Modernization Fund, a matching fund that state racetrack casinos have been able to use to upgrade their gaming areas.
“I’m disappointed the bill was not made fair to the families in the greyhound business,” Sam Burdette, with the state Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, said afterward.
See more at: www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160301/senate-passes-bill-pulling-state-funds-from-greyhound-racing
The bill (SB 641), which passed the Senate 29-5, would eliminate state subsidies for greyhound purse and breeder’s funds — funds that a Spectrum Racing Group study released in 2015 concluded accounts for more than 95 percent of total greyhound racing revenues.
According to the state Racing Commission, elimination of the subsidies would free up about $11.3 million to appropriate into the cash-strapped 2016-17 state budget. The bill also frees up another $10 million by eliminating the Racetrack Modernization Fund, a matching fund that state racetrack casinos have been able to use to upgrade their gaming areas.
“I’m disappointed the bill was not made fair to the families in the greyhound business,” Sam Burdette, with the state Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, said afterward.
See more at: www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160301/senate-passes-bill-pulling-state-funds-from-greyhound-racing