Thankfully, there are no operational greyhound tracks in Connecticut. 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.
Connecticut News Junkie - Commentary: Keep dog racing in the past by Christine A. Dorchak
Hartford Courant - Jon Lender: From tribes to MGM to MLB, big interests paying lobbyists $2 million to influence bills on sports betting, casinos
The Bulletin - Trucking company buys Plainfield property for $1.7 million
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