Greyhound Racing in Massachusetts

Question 3 volunteers Rally on the Boston Common (GREY2K USA Worldwide)

All the Bay State tracks are closed and greyhound racing, both live and simulcast racing, are illegal.

Massachusetts was the third state to authorize pari-mutuel wagering on greyhounds.¹ Since its legalization in 1934, dog racing was opposed by anti-gambling activists who brought three ballot questions in the 1930's and 1940's to try and shut down the industry.² Then in 2000, the all-volunteer Grey2K Committee was formed to ban dog racing for the greyhounds' sake. Unfortunately, the measure lost by a margin of 51% to 49% on that year's ballot.³

Not to be stopped, non-profit GREY2K USA was formed in 2001 and passed an injury reporting law for greyhounds that year.⁴ The resulting records would prove the cornerstone of all future efforts. Five years later, the Committee to Protect Dogs was formed by GREY2K USA, the Humane Society of the United States and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to support the Dog Protection Act of 2006.⁵ Unfortunately, the question was blocked from the 2006 ballot by Raynham Park owner George Carney.

The fight continued and a ban on "any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of dogs" (live and simulcast) was successfully brought to a vote two years later.⁶ On November 4, 2008, Massachusetts citizens went to the polls and approved the Greyhound Protection Act by a margin of 56% to 44%. Question 3 passed in twelve of fourteen counties, and the Bay State became the first to prohibit dog racing by citizens' initiative.⁷

The last race was held at Wonderland Greyhound Park on September 19, 2009 and at Raynham Park on December 26 of that year. On August 1, 2022, and following a dozen years of delays and extensions, the Massachusetts legislature finally voted to fully implement the Greyhound Protection Act by outlawing simulcast wagering on dogs.

Learn more about dog racing in other U.S. states

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