Cruelty allegations
Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has ordered the Macao Canidrome greyhound racing track to move or shut down by this time in 2018.
According to GGRAsia, the DICJ says it has conducted an “exhaustive analysis” of the Canidrome and how it contributes to the city’s gaming industry and reputation as a “world center of tourism and leisure.” The instruction also took into consideration “social expectations,” according to a release, a likely reference to accusations of animal cruelty. Similar allegations and an in-depth study of the sport recently prompted the Australian state of New South Wales to ban greyhound racing starting in 2017.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac said the government will explore alternative uses for the current Canidrome site, located in the northern part of the peninsula.
Gross gaming revenues from greyhound racing declined 13.8 percent year-on-year in 2015, for a total of MOP125 million (US$15.6 million), compared to MOP145 million in 2014. That’s less than the city’s casinos generate in a single day.
The dog track is operated Yut Yuen, which is run by casino tycoon Stanley Ho Hung Sun, founder of Macau casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd. Angela Leong On Ke, Ho’s fourth wife, currently heads the firm. She is also an executive director of SJM Holdings.
