Greyhound Advocates Applaud Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for Signing Bill to Outlaw Greyhound Racing

New Law Makes Arkansas the 44^th State to Prohibit Greyhound Racing

ARLINGTON, Mass., March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest greyhound protection group in the world thanked Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders for signing a bill to outlaw greyhound racing today, calling the new law a victory for everyone who cares about dogs.

"Greyhound advocates everywhere applaud Governor Huckabee Sanders for signing this important bill," said GREY2K USA President and General Counsel Christine A. Dorchak. "Arkansas will join 43 other states that have already rejected this outdated and inhumane form of gambling."

House Bill 1721 also phases out remote gambling on dog races, known as simulcasting, by 2028. Greyhound racing is a dying industry, and only continues to exist at two tracks in West Virginia. After dog racing gradually declined for decades, Florida voters outlawed the activity in 2018 by a vote of 69% to 31%, closing twelve operational racetracks. A bill to prohibit gambling on greyhound racing nationwide was introduced in the 118^th Congress and earned the support of 80 cosponsors and more than 250 humane groups, anti-gambling organizations and local animal shelters.

Greyhound simulcasting has been outlawed in the six states of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire since 2022. Bills to end betting on greyhound racing are pending in North Dakota, Oregon and Texas.

All mainstream animal protection groups oppose greyhound racing due to animal welfare concerns. At the last two remaining dog tracks in West Virginia, state records indicate that 568 greyhounds were injured in 2023 including 181 dogs that suffered broken bones and nine greyhounds that died. Thousands of dogs also endure lives of confinement at West Virginia tracks, kept in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around for long hours each day.

About GREY2K USA Worldwide

Formed in February of 2001, GREY2K USA is the largest greyhound protection organization in the United States with more than 300,000 supporters. As a non-profit 501(c)4 organization, the group works to pass stronger greyhound protection laws and end the cruelty of dog racing on both national and international levels. GREY2K USA also promotes the rescue and adoption of greyhounds across the globe. For more information, go to www.GREY2KUSA.org or visit GREY2K USA on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Contact: Christine A. Dorchak, Esq., 617.981.0490, [email protected]

SOURCE GREY2K USA