Greyhound Racing in Connecticut

Thankfully, there are no operational greyhound tracks in Connecticut. Greyhound racing remains legal in the state, however, as a prohibition has not yet passed into law.

Plainfield Greyhound Park, the state’s first track, opened in 1976,¹ and Shoreline Star Greyhound Park, a former jai alai fronton, was converted into a racing facility in 1995.² By 2005, live racing had ended at both facilities after years of declining attendance and diminshed wagering.³

But greyhound racing remains legal in Connecticut. A bill prohibiting the activity passed the Senate but stalled in the House in 2017.⁴ In 2021, the House of Representatives took up its own bill and voted 112-36 for the greyhounds.⁵ In 2022, the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security approved a measure to ban live racing but the bill was not called for a plenary vote before the end of the session.⁶ Championed by Representative Mike D'Agostino and Nicole Klarides-Ditria, HB 6615 was newly filed in 2023 to outlaw commercial dog racing in the state once and for all. On May 3, 2023 the House voted 119 - 23 in support of the measure. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to take it up for a vote before session ended the next month.