The Decline of Greyhound Racing in Wales

Greyhound racing was once a hugely popular sport throughout Wales and the rest of the UK, but now could it be close to being phased out altogether?

Once, one of the biggest sports in Wales was Greyhound racing. By the mid-1930s, there were 200 tracks across Wales and the rest of the UK, with a total attendance of over 32 million people per year. This is especially impressive for a country with a population of only around 46 million.

However, the sport has been on a steady decline ever since the late 40s. From 200 in the 1930s, the number of stadiums in the UK has dwindled to just 24. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain licences 21 of these, none of which are in Wales. There is only one remaining track in Wales, which is independent but looking to become licenced in the near future.

So what has caused the people of Wales to move away from this sport? There are a number of potential reasons, from welfare concerns to a rise of other options for betting. Whatever the cause, it seems less and less likely that the sport will be around in 20 years time.

Welsh gambling habits

One of the main attractions of greyhound racing has always been placing a bet. When it first arrived onto the Welsh scene in 1926, this was something that brought millions of people to the racecourses. Horse racing already existed, but tended to be seen as something for the upper and middle classes. Betting on the greyhounds was something the working classes could do, which helped the sport explode in popularity.

However, since then there has been a glut of other options. The latest Welsh Problem Gambling Survey found that in 2018, just one percent of adults in Wales bet on greyhound racing. In comparison, 5.6 percent played bingo, 4.6 percent used slot machines and 2.7 percent took part in online gambling.

There are simply more options available for gamblers these days, many of which are seen as more convenient. A trip to the dog track is a full day out, whereas many people can place bets in seconds over the internet from the comfort of their homes. They can even just get a scratch card from the shops like 22.7 percent of Welsh adults.

More popular races

There is also the entertainment factor of greyhound racing. People enjoy the drama and excitement of watching the dogs sprint around the track, even if they haven’t placed a bet on them. However, there are other forms of racing that have grown in popularity to eclipse the dogs. Probably the best example is Formula One.

Starting in the 1960s, the auto racing promotion took off in a big way. Nowadays, a single Formula One event in the UK can pull in 356,000 visitors in addition to millions watching on TV. Greyhound racing is not seen so much as a sport to follow, and might be losing out on fans as a result.

Welfare worries

Any sport involving animals is going to have people concerned about their welfare, understandably. Greyhound Racing is no different, and it has struggled with the perception that it is cruel to the dogs. This is something that has recently caused 23,000 people to petition for the sport to be banned after the Valley Greyhounds track in Caerphilly sought to become licenced.

The track’s owners countered that becoming licenced would actually lead to higher levels of welfare for the dogs. While injuries are tragically common, proponents of the sport point say that greyhounds enjoy racing and are prevented from overdoing it.

Kevin Boothby, managing director of the Oxford Stadium, told the BBC: “It’s a great night out, it’s great for families and it is a great sport. Greyhounds are bred to race and they love it, they thrive on it. When they finish racing, they make fantastic pets.”

While there is an ongoing debate about this topic, it’s clear the perception of the sport as cruel isn’t helping its popularity. Critics will point out that there are many other sports and gambling experiences that don’t carry the risk of injury to animals with them. However, responsible trainers who are careful with their dogs’ welfare can go a long way towards tackling this idea.

Overall, it’s clear that greyhound racing has a lot of struggles ahead of it. From calls to ban the sport to alternatives for gambling fans, there are a lot of reasons to be worried about its future. However, there is still a passionate fanbase who enjoy the experience of a day at the races, so there is still plenty of hope for the sport in Wales.