GBGB Seeking More From Bookmakers for Greyhound Welfare
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has launched a campaign to introduce a statutory levy on bookmakers to contribute to long-term greyhound welfare. Its ‘Keep Welfare On Track’ campaign calls for all betting companies to pay a minimum percentage of turnover from greyhound racing bets towards greyhound welfare.
Welfare on Track! Trainer Jason Gray, GBGB Chief Executive Mark Bird (centre) and kennel hand Jess Hubbard. © GBGB
Currently, the sport receives funding from a voluntary levy that sees bookmakers pay 0.6 percent of greyhound betting turnover – but only if they opt into the funding scheme. The UK’s best online gambling sites, including those owned by Kindred Group, Entain PLC and Flutter Entertainment, contribute to the British Greyhound Racing Fund.
Greyhound welfare is a hot topic. This week, BBC News highlighted that the Welsh Government is considering a potential ban on greyhound racing in Wales. Its deliberations are a result of a petition submitted by a welfare charity that was debated by the Senedd in Plenary on March 8, 2023.
However, a second petition on the Welsh Parliament’s website – seeking government support for greyhound racing – noted that less than 19,000 of that petition’s 35,000 signatures came from within Wales. It points out that “the Senedd [Welsh Government] currently has a cross-party group to support horse racing” and asks for the same support for greyhound racing.
Greyhound Racing Forcing the Welfare Debate
The UK’s regulator for licensed greyhound racing, the GBGB, has initiated the ‘Keep Welfare On Track’ campaign, which it describes as “а campaign to force the UK betting industry to better protect the welfare of racing greyhounds through the introduction of a compulsory statutory levy.”
It, too, will see a public petition launched to force a debate on the issue – this time in the British Parliament – where it is hoped the regulator can successfully argue the current voluntary levy is inadequate to uphold its existing welfare standards over the long term.
Highlighting its point, the GBGB says the British Greyhound Racing Fund is set to receive “only” an estimated £6.7 million in voluntary levy contributions for the year to March 2025. The regulator says that £5 million of this will go towards funding greyhound welfare and integrity.
Greyhounds are more than racers—they’re loving companions who deserve care throughout their lives. 🐾
Consistent funding is vital to maintain welfare standards. Without it, key programmes are at risk.
💬 Email your MP today to #KeepWelfareOnTrack
🔗 https://t.co/C88RW2YWsX pic.twitter.com/EpcbFIlbeJ— Keep Welfare on Track (@welfareontrack) November 26, 2024
Despite the sport’s regulator’s introduction of crucial welfare programmes to optimise greyhound wellbeing both on and off the track, the amounts paid by bookmakers have decreased significantly since the GBGB came into being in 2009. It says levy contributions have fallen by 67% based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) rates.
A Good Life for Every Greyhound
Referencing British horse racing, the GBGB says a new compulsory levy would see financial contributions from betting companies rise to “resemble other best-practice schemes” under its proposals. As part of any new levy system, a final contribution figure would be negotiated between bookmakers and the sport.
It would also ensure that every betting organisation supports GBGB’s comprehensive welfare strategy, ‘A Good Life For Every Greyhound’, which aims to further enhance welfare across all stages of a greyhound’s life.
Its initiatives include plans to assist with the costs of veterinary treatment during a dog’s racing career and a new homing initiative for retired athletes – called ‘With A Greyhound’ – which connects potential pet owners with more than 100 accredited greyhound adoption centres across the UK.
A Levy to Protect These Wonderful Animals
“As long as the current levy remains voluntary and non-negotiable, with some bookmakers failing to play their part, the strides that we as an industry have made to uphold the highest standards of welfare for racing greyhounds will remain under threat,” said Mark Bird, Chief Executive of the GBGB when launching ‘Keep Welfare On Track’.
“Our campaign seeks to provide a more equitable approach that ensures that all betting companies pay into the levy at an appropriate rate to ensure sustainable and long-term funding to protect these wonderful animals for years to come.”
“We strongly urge anyone who cares about greyhounds and the greyhound racing industry to sign this petition so we can present this vital campaign directly to the Government and force them to take action,” Bird concluded.
Floods in the Valley, Closures in Kent
The GBGB’s call for bookmakers to pay a compulsory statutory levy to ensure the welfare of greyhounds nationwide dwarfs the BBC’s recent news story about one track, Valley, the only greyhound racing venue in Wales.
In the item, Greyhound Rescue Wales’ Chief Executive points out that, since the GBGB licensed the stadium in August last year, it has staged more races – quoting 42 in November 2023 compared with 168 races last month – than it did when it was unregulated and raced as a ‘flapping track’.
In a remarkable turn of events,Valley Stadium, situated in south Wales, is unlikely to keep up its pace in the coming weeks. A mid-week X-post by SIS Ltd, the venue’s data and streaming partner, showed the circuit was underwater following Storm Bert. The track’s website advises the date of its next meeting is still being determined.
In other news, Ladbrokes, owners of the Crayford greyhound track in Dartford, Kent, has announced it plans to close its 38-year-old stadium after Christmas.
In a statement, the bookmaking company said: “Dwindling support for the venue has led to insufficient trainer interest to fulfil our schedules, fewer competitive race days, and, therefore, lower attendance, which has sadly driven our decision to close.”
A day later, Star Sports owner Ben Keith, who recently acquired Pelaw Grange Greyhound Stadium in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, publicly announced his interest in taking over operations at the track.
