A bill has been proposed in the Connecticut General Assembly that would ban both greyhound racing within the state, as well as stop operators simulcasting racing from out-of-state locations.
Proposed H.B. No. 5042 – put forward by two Republican and one Democratic legislators – currently has been referred to the committee of public safety and security.
The individuals who proposed the bill are Rep. Klarides-Ditria from the 105st district, Rep. D’Agostino from the 91st district and Sen. Somers from the 18th district.
The bill follows a number of previous efforts to ban dog racing in the previous years. In 2017, a bill passed the senate but stalled in the house. Bills legislating prohibition failed to get over the line in 2021, as well as 2022.
While the activity is at present legal in the Constitution State, there are no operational greyhound racing tracks actively taking bets.
Connecticut had previously seen live racing at two locations; Plainfield Greyhound Park, founded in 1976, and Shoreline Star Greyhound Park founded in 1995. However, both facilities closed by 2005 due to diminished interest in the sport.
In October 2021, the state launched both online gaming and sports betting. More than 1.2 million bets were placed in the first week, with a total sports betting handle reaching $54.1m in the first month.