The greyhounds are racing again in Dubuque, Iowa, but after a shortened season ends in May, there will be only three tracks left in the country.
have nearly killed a sport that gained widespread appeal about a century ago.
"Do I think the industry is dying? Yes," said Gwyneth Anne Thayer, who has written a history of greyhound racing. But "it’s happening way faster than I thought it would."will leave racing only in West Virginia, where tracks in Wheeling and near Charleston operate with subsidies from casino revenue. On opening day at the Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque, spectators packed into a spacious room that overlooked the track, sipping beers and mixed drinks as they pored over racing statistics before placing bets at kiosks or with attendants. They expressed disappointment that the track would close, lamenting the loss of an entertainment option in Dubuque, a city of about 60,000 known for its stately brick buildings and church steeples built on hills overlooking the Mississippi River.
The Dubuque track was helped along by city and state funding, and after Iowa and other states began allowing casinos, the Dubuque operation was expanded to include its own casino.