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32-490: The Birmingham Cup is a greyhound racing competition inaugurated in 1939 and currently held at Perry Barr Stadium . The event began life as a handicap kennel sweepstake in 1938 but the following year was inaugurated as an open race competition being held annually at the Old Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium , until the closure of the track in 1984. The competition was one of the leading events in

64-517: A certain number of consecutive races are subject to being ruled off the track in some countries. Violators are subject to criminal penalties and loss of their racing licenses by state gaming commissions and a permanent ban from the National Greyhound Association . The trainer of the greyhound is at all times the "absolute insurer" of the condition of the animal. The trainer is responsible for any positive test regardless of how

96-491: A greyhound racing federation or trade association. The medical care of a racing greyhound is primarily the responsibility of the trainer while in training. All tracks in the United Kingdom have to have a veterinary surgeon and veterinary room facilities on site during racing. The greyhounds require microchipping, annual vaccinations against distemper , infectious canine hepatitis , parvovirus , leptospirosis , and

128-493: A vaccination to minimize outbreaks of diseases such as kennel cough . All greyhounds in the UK must pass a pre-race veterinary inspection before being allowed to take part in that race. The racing industry (in several countries) actively works to prevent the spread of doping cases. Attempts are being made to recover urine samples from all greyhounds in a race, not just the winners. Greyhounds from which samples cannot be obtained for

160-610: Is a device to add up the bets in a pari-mutuel betting system. The whole of the pot (the stakes on all competitors) is divided pro rata to the stakes placed on the winning competitor, and those tickets are paid out. Essentially, it implements a system of starting price (SP) betting. In particular, it refers to the invention of George Julius , the English-born, New Zealand educated, Australian inventor, engineer and businessman, though there have been other claimants, notably engineer Joseph G. Nash. The term automatic refers to

192-427: Is characterized by several criteria (varying depending on country) and can include legalized gambling, the existence of a regulatory structure, the physical presence of racetracks, whether the host state or subdivision shares in any gambling proceeds, fees charged by host locations, the use of professional racing kennels, the number of dogs participating in races, the existence of an official racing code, and membership in

224-446: Is now banned in most countries. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of the greyhounds on a rail until the greyhounds cross the finish line . As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to bet on the outcome . Animal rights and animal welfare groups have been critical of the welfare of greyhounds in the commercial racing industry for many years which has contributed to

256-679: Is purely amateur and solely for enjoyment. In other countries, particularly Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, greyhound racing is similar to horse racing in that it is part of the gambling industry. Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing . The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon, England , in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The industry emerged in its recognizable modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with

288-828: Is regulated by the American Greyhound Council and the National Greyhound Association . There was one greyhound racing track in Mexico, the Caliente Hipodrome in Tijuana , that hosted races from 1947 to July 14, 2024. There was formerly at greyhound racing track in Vietnam at the Lam Son Stadium in Vung Tau , Vietnam from 2000 to March 2023, but it has since closed. As of 2023,

320-473: The Greyhound Trust try to ensure that as many of the dogs as possible are adopted. Some of these groups also advocate better treatment of the dogs while at the track and/or the end of racing for profit. In recent years the racing industry has made significant progress in establishing programs for the adoption of retired racers. In addition to actively cooperating with private adoption groups throughout

352-456: The Midlands and was brought back in 1992 at the new Perry Barr Stadium , until the decision was made to discontinue the event in 2009. The event was held over the standard distance (the most common distance held at a track) and winners included the 1946 English Greyhound Derby champion Mondays News. In 2020, the competition was brought back in memory of Michael Lambe Senior and in 2023

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384-523: The Second World War —for example, attendances during 1946 were estimated to be around 75 million based on an annual totalisator turnover of £196,431,430. The industry experienced a decline beginning in the early 1960s, after the 1960 UK Betting and Gaming Act permitted off-course cash betting. Sponsorship, limited television coverage, and the later abolition of on-course betting tax have partially offset this decline. Commercial greyhound racing

416-672: The General Strike of 1926 looming, the two men scoured the country in an attempt to find others who would join them. Eventually they met Brigadier-General Critchley , who introduced them to Sir William Gentle . Between them they raised £22,000, and like the American 'International Greyhound Racing Association' (or the I.G.R.A.), they launched the Greyhound Racing Association , holding the first British meeting at Manchester 's Belle Vue Stadium . The industry

448-487: The United Kingdom, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has introduced measures to locate where racing greyhounds reside after they have retired from racing and as from 2017 records have been available to the public. Several organizations, such as British Greyhounds Retired Database, Greyhound Rescue West of England, Birmingham Greyhound Protection, GAGAH, Adopt-a-Greyhound and Greyhound Pets of America, and

480-543: The United States were at Hialeah Park , Florida , in 1932 (by ATL), and at Arlington Park racecourse, Chicago , in 1933 by American Totalisator . The first entirely electronic totalisator was developed in 1966. Totalisators have been superseded by general purpose computers running specialised wagering software such as Autotote . In many cases beyond older systems, telethon tote boards have either been replaced by LCD displays showing totals, or scoreboards adapted to display dollar amounts. An automatic totalisator

512-401: The automated system which runs parimutuel betting , calculating payoff odds, displaying them, and producing tickets based on incoming bets. Parimutuel systems had used totalisator boards since the 1860s, and they were often housed in substantial buildings. However, the manual systems often resulted in substantial delays in calculations of clients' payouts. The first all-mechanical totalisator

544-406: The banned substance has entered the greyhound's system. A series of research papers have indicated that the greyhound racing industry played an important role in the rise of drug-resistant hookworms . Greyhound farms tended to treat greyhounds with dewormers even when the dogs did not have an active infection, thus enabling worms, which are constantly exposed to drugs, to develop immunity against

576-623: The company that owned the Lam Son track is building a new horse and greyhound race track in Lam Dong province. There was also a greyhound track located in Macau , China at the Canidrome which conducted greyhound racing for about 90 years, but discontinued racing in 2018. Totalisator The term "tote board" comes from the colloquialism for "totalizator" (or "totalisator"), the name for

608-442: The construction of a modern racetrack using the mechanical lure, described in the press as the "automatic rabbit." The first race at the new park was on Saturday, May 29, 1920. The oval track and mechanical hare were introduced to Britain, in 1926, by another American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixson, a Canadian, who was a key figure in coursing. Finding other supporters proved rather difficult, however, and with

640-588: The control of Rásaíocht Con Éireann (GRI) which is a commercial semi-state body and reports to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine . The vast majority of greyhounds racing in the UK are imported from Irish breeders (estimated 90%). In the greyhound industry Northern Irish tracks are considered to be in the category of Irish greyhound racing and the results are published by the GRI. They do not come under

672-878: The control of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain . Racing in New Zealand is governed by the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) in accordance with the Racing Act 2003. Greyhound racing in Great Britain is regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and accredited by United Kingdom Accreditation Service . In the United States, greyhound racing is governed by state or local law, however, as of 2023 only two racetracks in West Virginia continue to operate. Greyhound care

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704-532: The country, many race tracks have established their own adoption programs at various tracks. Greyhounds Australasia was formed in 1937 (as the Australian and New Zealand Greyhound Association) and consists of governing bodies in Australian states and New Zealand, which regulate greyhound welfare and living conditions. Greyhound racing is a popular industry in Ireland with the majority of tracks falling under

736-459: The drugs among the surviving worms. The rise of drug-resistant hookworms poses a threat to pets and humans more generally. Generally, a greyhound's career will end between the ages of four and six – after the dog can no longer race, or possibly when it is no longer competitive. The best dogs are kept for breeding and there are industry-associated adoption groups and rescue groups that work to obtain retired racing greyhounds and place them as pets. In

768-403: The fact that the bets were automatically summed and a ticket issued when a bet was registered on the issuing machines, and it provided a safe and virtually fraud-free method of betting, replacing the earlier jam-pot totes , which used either paper transactions or some method of counting bets like steel ball bearings. The machine did not actually calculate the payout. The method was widely used in

800-523: The invention of the mechanical, or artificial, hare in 1912 by an American, Owen Patrick Smith. O.P. Smith had altruistic aims for the industry to stop the killing of the jack rabbits and see "greyhound racing as we see horse racing". In 1919, Smith opened the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville, California . The Emeryville arena was torn down in February 1920 to make way for

832-401: The nearby urban locations of the tracks and the evening times of the meetings. Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and the totalisator , first introduced in 1930. Like horse racing , it is popular to bet on the greyhound races as a form of parimutuel betting . Greyhound racing enjoyed its highest United Kingdom attendances just after

864-465: The reforms of the industries in recent years. A greyhound adoption movement spearheaded by kennel owners has arisen to assist retired racing dogs in finding homes as pets, with an estimated adoption rate of over 95% in the United States. In the UK, under the GBGB retirement scheme (introduced in 2020) greyhounds are ensured an approved GRS homing centre after racing. In many countries, greyhound racing

896-592: Was deemed to be excessive. The first all-mechanical machine was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse in New Zealand in 1913 (first used on the Holy Saturday races on 22 March 1913), and the second was installed at Gloucester Park Racetrack in Western Australia in 1917. George Julius founded Automatic Totalisators Limited (ATL) in 1917, which supplied the "Premier Totalisator: now including electrical components". The first totalisators installed in

928-399: Was himself an amateur mechanic, with a reputation for fixing clocks and organs in parishes he visited. Initially, George Julius was attempting to develop a voting calculating machine for the Australian government, to automatically reduce the instances of voter fraud and create a cheat-free political environment. He went on to present his unique invention, only to have his design rejected as it

960-488: Was invented by George Julius . Julius was a consulting engineer, based in Sydney. His father, Churchill Julius , an Anglican Bishop, had campaigned, in the early years of the twentieth century, against the iniquities of gambling using totalisators and its damage to New Zealand society. That attitude had changed by late 1907 when he argued that the totalisator removed much of the evil of gambling with bookmakers. Bishop Churchill

992-454: Was successful in cities and towns throughout the UK – by the end of 1927, there were forty tracks operating. Middle-class reformers were outraged, and the working-class delighted, with the emergence in the late-1920s of Greyhound racing as an entertaining new sport and betting opportunity. At first it seemed modern, glamorous, and American, but the middle class lost interest when working-class audiences took over. The working class appreciated

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1024-403: Was upgraded to category one with a winner's prize of £12,500. Former competitions Former competitions Current competitions Former competitions Greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing ; the latter

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