AGC TELLS MIAMI HERALD, “WE’VE MADE GREAT STRIDES!”

A December 27 story in the Miami Herald described greyhound racing as "a vanishing sport." In his response, AGC Communications Coordinator Gary Guccione has laid out a vision for greyhound racing in the 21st century. Read the full text of his letter.

Dear Editor:

The December 27 story by Linda Robertson on greyhound racing was a bittersweet but fair-handed look at the current status of the sport.

Despite claims by animal rights activists to the contrary, the real reason for the decline in greyhound racing has more to do with competition and changing lifestyles. The
enormous expansion of other gaming opportunities from coast to coast has greatly increased competition for the entertainment dollar.

Even more profound is the change in the nature of gaming itself. Fast-paced, highglitz graphics and instant electronic feedback have replaced older, more traditional forms of gambling. Online gaming has eaten into the profitability of racinos and card clubs. Even slot machine manufacturers are scrambling to find ways to make their devices more interesting, faster paced and more entertaining.

The demographic of greyhound racing customers has magnified the impact of these social changes. As baby boomers near retirement age, the next generation of
gamblers is a generation born and raised with computer keyboards at their fingertips.

The gambling world—greyhound racing included–will have to adapt to this demographic shift by finding new ways to attract younger, tech-savvy customers.

One thing is for certain. Greyhound racing has made tremendous strides in ensuring the health and safety of racing greyhounds from the farm to retirement and adoption.

Today, we’re very close to meeting our goal of 100 percent placement of all adoptable greyhounds. This is good news for everybody, including our customers, some of whom are among our most active adoption volunteers.

In addition, we’ve worked diligently to strengthen our internal controls, raise the bar on animal welfare standards, and weed out those who fail in their responsibility for responsible greyhound care.

The handful of people who violate our standards are, and have been, banned from the sport for life, and others prohibited from doing business with them. Few other sports impose such tough penalties for rule violations.

Greyhound racing doesn’t need to be huge to survive in the 21st century. It just needs to be well-run, technologically savvy and conscientious in its approach to greyhound welfare and adoption. We can do that!

Sincerely,

Gary Guccione, Communications Coordinator
American Greyhound Council