The sport of greyhound racing is believed to have begun with an attempt at coursing in Wales in the year 1876. However, it was American Owen Patrick Smith who was the first to successfully develop a mechanical hare, and open the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville California in 1919. It wasn’t until 1926 that Britain adopted a similar setup thanks to another American Charles Munn, alongside his partner Major Lyne-Dixson. As can be the case when attempting to get a new online casino off the ground, Munn and Lyne-Dixson found it difficult to get any assistance with their venture.
Thankfully, the aforementioned duo were able to raise sufficient funds to launch the Greyhound Racing Association, with the first official meeting taking place at Manchester’s Belle Vue Stadium. By the end of the 1920s, there were a total of forty greyhound tracks in operation around the UK. Fast forward to the present day, there are now a total of 19 licensed stadiums in the UK. While the sport has seen a number of track closures in this country, dog racing still has a huge following a very supportive and active community.
In recent years, casinos online have risen dramatically in popularity, but that hasn’t stopped greyhound racing in Australia continuing to be a huge betting concern. Over $4 billion a year is wagered on races in Australia, and there are a total of 65 venues throughout the country where patrons can enjoy the spectacle of greyhound racing. Ireland is the other biggest territory for greyhound racing in terms of popularity. A number of trainers from the Emerald Isle make the journey to England for the key competitions in the calendar. There is definitely still enough interest and desire for greyhound racing around the world to see the sport continue in its current format for some time.
The United States could be the exception to the rule however. Many tracks have closed in recent years in the USA due to a decline in betting turnover. A total of seven stadiums remain open at the present time, but four of these are set to close by the end of 2022. It remains to be seen whether dog racing will completely die out in the US, but the current numbers certainly don’t support its long term future.
Leave a Reply