Macau’s Gaming Coordination and Inspection Bureau (DICJ) has ordered Macau (Yut Yuen) Canidrome Co Ltd to relocate its controversial greyhound racing track within two years or shut down operations for good.
In a move that has been welcomed by animal rights activists across the region – who for years have rallied against the alleged abuse of dogs at the facility – the gaming regulator cited a recent study which showed gross gaming revenue from greyhound racing had declined 13.8% year-on-year in 2015 from MOP$145 million to MOP$125 million.
It also acknowledged changing “social expectations” in regards to how animals are treated, stating that Yat Yuen must also improve its animal welfare standards if it does choose to relocate. It has been reported that around 400 dogs are killed in Macau each year for being too slow.
While the DICJ said that the findings of the study, conducted by the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau, formed the basis of its decision, it also came just weeks after the NSW State Government in Australia announced it would shut down the greyhound racing industry from 1 July 2017.
Like Macau, the NSW decision was prompted by the findings of a Special Commission of Inquiry which revealed between 48,891 and 68,448 dogs had been killed in the last 12 years for being “too slow” and that up to 20 percent of greyhound trainers engaged in “live baiting” to train their dogs.
NSW Premier Mike Baird said, “it appears unlikely that the issue of the large scale killing of healthy greyhounds by the industry can be addressed successfully in the future. Such is the culture of the industry and some of its leaders that it is no longer, if it ever was, entitled to the trust of the community.”
Macau has historically sourced the vast majority of its racing dogs from Australia.
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