Lawmakers, animal‑welfare groups press to end Oregon’s licensing of remote greyhound wagering

Representative David Gomberg told the committee the bill’s goal is to stop Oregon hubs from permitting wagers on greyhound races that take place outside the state and where welfare and oversight standards may be weaker. “We are licensing Greyhound races that take place in Australia, in The Middle East, in Mexico,” Gomberg said, adding that the commission’s data show a high number of dog injuries and fatalities in tracks that supply races to the hubs.

Connie Wynne, executive director of the Oregon Racing Commission, said the commission and the governor support HB 3020 and that the immediate fiscal exposure to the commission is modest in isolation but must be seen with other recent losses. Wynne told the committee the racing commission receives roughly $25,495 a year from off‑track greyhound betting and about $93,928 from online wagering (the director said those figures are presented before a later clarification that the combined figure is a biennial number). Wynne said the commission’s broader recent fiscal hits include the loss of year‑round racing at Portland Meadows, the loss of several off‑track betting locations and other revenue declines.

Animal‑welfare witnesses urged passage. Carrie Theel (identified in the record as the executive director of Grey2 ks USA) and representatives of Greyhound protection organizations described injuries, live‑lure training cases and an overall decline in the industry’s licit footprint; the Oregon Humane group said ending the licensing would help “thousands of dogs around the world.” By contrast, speakers from the horse‑racing and off‑track betting sector warned of economic consequences. Rod Lowe of the Horsemen’s Racing Association said greyhound wagering contributes to purses and statutory revenue that flows to county fairs and horse racing purses: “Out of that $2,500,000 there's about 500,000 in revenue that would be lost to our OTB network,” he said, and named individual OTBs that would lose between 19% and 47% of their wagering revenue.

Testimony reflected a tension between animal‑welfare goals and industry preservation. Several horse‑racing witnesses asked the committee to consider a multi‑year phase‑out to allow OTB operators and racing organizations to replace lost revenue; lobbyists for horsemen’s groups said industry stakeholders had been negotiating options, including backfill proposals in other bills. Gomberg argued enforcement of past legislative intent is at stake: he noted a prior law drafted to limit bets to states that allow live dog racing, and said continued licensing undercuts the legislature’s prior action.

No formal vote occurred at the hearing. Committee members and witnesses discussed the scale of the fiscal impact, the accuracy of injury statistics presented and possible transition timelines. Director Wynne and other witnesses said the Racing Commission’s requested fixes and the governor’s budget include measures to stabilize racing operations should greyhound wagering be curtailed.

The committee left the record open for additional materials and asked staff to circulate requested fiscal detail and industry impact estimates.