Greyhound Racing Comes To An End In Dubuque

Sunday was the final day of greyhound racing at the Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque. Opened in June 1985, Iowa Greyhound Park held an abbreviated final season this spring that began April 16th and concluded Sunday. This spring, the track hosted 18 days of racing. A number of factors began limiting attendance at the track during the past three decades. Wisconsin regulators approved five operating licenses for greyhound racing in that state in 1990, and the Dubuque track lost patrons who had come from the Milwaukee and Chicago areas. The addition of casino gaming in Dubuque also chipped away at dog racing’s appeal among some patrons. The closure of Florida’s 14 racetracks after the 2020 season left only four racing facilities in the country — the one in Dubuque, one in Arkansas and two in West Virginia. The Arkansas track is due to close at the end of this year.