Rhode Island Lawmakers Pushing For More Greyhound Racing

The governor of Rhode Island, Don Carcieri, has already made his position clear regarding a Bill that would expand greyhound gambling at Twin River. The governor has vetoed the legislation, but that will not stop lawmakers from moving forward with the plan.

Lawmakers are expected to override the veto and ensure that racing at the track would be increased from 125 days, to 200 days a year. The track is in bankruptcy, but lawmakers believe that no more jobs can be lost in Rhode Island.

"I did not want to see more people out of work," said Senator Frank Ciccone III, the legislator that sponsored the Bill, "My compassion is with the poor people who are trying to make a living than with the multimillionaires who over-invested and tried to take more money out."

Rhode Island is already the leader in the nation when it comes to unemployment, and legislators are now scrambling to keep that number from escalating. There is a total of 225 jobs that would be lost if Twin River is not forced to run the dogs.

The stance that lawmakers in the state are taking is unusual in comparison to other areas of the US. In the early 1990's, when greyhound racing was at its highest, there were fifty-five tracks in the country. That figure has dropped down to around thirty tracks.

In place of the dog racing, more states have moved towards casino gambling to fill the revenue gap. There are more casinos in the US now than ever in history, and that number is growing by the month.

July 13, 2009
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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