Although greyhound racing has fallen on harder times in England, there’s still plenty of races and meetings to bet on throughout the week at the likes of Brighton, Nottingham, Towcester and Yarmouth.
But fans in Wales will be gutted to hear that greyhound racing has officially gone to the dogs; the Welsh government has confirmed plans to ban the sport ‘as soon as practicably possible.’
It will come as a bitter blow to greyhound racing fans in the country, while placing an extra squeeze on betting revenue for a sport that has long been battling to survive in the UK.
The Right Time?
Each year the Welsh Parliament, known as the Senedd, publishes a range of petitions that the people of Wales can sign. Those that attract a significant number of signatures will then be discussed by the government.
In 2023, the Senedd’s record was broken when more than 150,000 called for the 20mph speed limit in urban areas to be scrapped. A motion calling for exactly that was passed to the Senedd, however the proposal was rejected.
In third place in 2023 was a ban on greyhound racing, which attracted just over 35,000 signatures. That too was discussed in the Senedd, and with more of an appetite for it than revamping speed limit laws, a motion was passed with minimal opposition.
The deputy first minister for Wales, Huw Irranca-Davies, confirmed earlier this week that now was the ‘right time’ to ban greyhound racing in the country. He spoke of his pride that Wales would be the first UK nation to outlaw the sport.
“There will be work to do in ensuring the dogs, their owners, and those involved in the industry around the racetrack, can wind down from this activity while still protecting the welfare of dogs currently within the industry, the local community and the local economy,” Irranca-Davies said.
Although there is no official date for cessation of greyhound racing in Wales, the first minister has claimed such a move could take place as soon as May 2026.
Since 2018, it’s reported that more than 2,500 greyhounds in the UK have been put to sleep after a race. However, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) claim that the decision has little to do with animal welfare… and is instead a result of the government kowtowing to rights campaigners.
Mark Bird, the chief executive of the GBGB, claimed that the government’s consultation process failed to uncover enough evidence to ‘support the case for a ban’.
“We have engaged in the consultation process in good faith as regulator for the sport, but this statement is hugely disappointing,” he said.
Losing the Race
The Swansea Greyhound Stadium closed in 2009
It’s worth pointing out that, as is the case in England, greyhound racing has been in serial decline in Wales anyway.
At one time or another there was more than a dozen greyhound tracks in the country, including Cardiff Arms Park and Swansea Greyhound Stadium, while venues like Penydarren Park, Jenner Park and Virginia Park have long been repurposed.
The only remaining professional greyhound track in Wales is the Valley Stadium in Caerphilly, although that will now presumably be shuttered in the near future. Representatives from the track described the ban as an ‘awful, ill-informed decision’.
At the time of writing, England and Ireland have shown no intention of banning greyhound racing; you can now only catch the sport here and in Australia and the USA. In New Zealand, dog racing is currently legal but will be banned in 2026 after a new law was passed in December.
In England, the sport has seen something of a renaissance in recent years. At the time of writing, there’s 19 active tracks up and down the country, with the revamped Towcester hosting the annual showpiece race, the English Greyhound Derby, which boasts a winner’s cheque of some £175,000.
Greyhound racing is in rude health in Ireland too. There are, at the time of writing, 15 active tracks in the Republic and two in Northern Ireland, with the Irish Greyhound Derby commanding a total prize pool of a handsome £250,000.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) took to X to voice their frustration that the sport will no longer be contested in Wales.
The BGC and our members are deeply disappointed by the announcement by the @WelshGovernment of their intention to ban greyhound racing in Wales.
— Betting and Gaming Council (@BetGameCouncil) February 18, 2025
“Greyhound racing is a working-class sport, enjoyed by thousands, and this draconian move will cost jobs, hurt the economy, while depriving people of a long established and legitimate source of joy,” they added.