![]() ![]() Jim Justice in a ceremony at Wheeling Island Casino. In 2017, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 437, discontinuing the state Greyhound Breeding Development Fund. Bankruptcies, so just not a good bill in my opinion.” It’s going to cause unemployment, foreclosures on homes. “They don’t have high school degrees, they don’t have college degrees. ![]() “You’re not going to retrain these workers,” Sarras said. A study done by West Virginia University in 2014 found there were about 1,000 direct jobs from greyhound racing in Wheeling alone. Sarras said eliminating the fund will cause the greyhound tracks to either close or reduce the number of races, causing massive layoffs. Steve Sarras, president of the West Virginia Kennel Owners Association, said the breeders fund is not a taxpayer subsidy it’s solely funded through the table games and video lottery wagers. “The short term would obviously be an impact on the city’s budget for revenue directly from dog racing.” “The (Wheeling Island Casino) itself is a large employer for the city of Wheeling, one of the largest employers, and one of our largest taxpayers,” Herron said. Speaking before the committee, Herron said with the recent job losses at Ohio Valley Medical Center, anything that deteriorates the amenities that Wheeling Island offers could be “catastrophic” to Wheeling. Voters in both counties approved table games in 2007, but only as long as the casinos had racing.Īdditionally, the bill would use the remaining money in the Greyhound Breeding Development Fund for the following: $3 million to retrain workers in the greyhound industries in the state, $1 million to promote adoption of greyhounds used at the two racetracks, and a one-time, $500 tax credit for West Virginians who adopt a greyhound, which sunsets July 1, 2023. The bill would decouple the two casinos that offer greyhound racing - Mardi Gras and Wheeling Island. Instead, SB 285 would transfer that funding to the Excess Lottery Revenue Fund for distribution by the Legislature. If passed by the Legislature, the bill would eliminate the nearly $17 million transfer from wagers on table games and video lottery machines to the fund. 21 by Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson. SB 285 would eliminate the fund by July 1. The bill will be up for first reading in the Senate Wednesday. The bill would eliminate the fund that contributes to the purses for greyhound racing at two state casinos –Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino in Kanawha County. The committee, though, passed through Senate Bill 285 by a 10-6 vote. ![]()
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