Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1992 > Committee on Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies (6th Committee) > Report No. 05 - Bord Na gCON

APPENDIX III: GREYHOUND RACING IN THE UK

III.1The response to the rapid growth of greyhound racing in the UK from 1926 onwards took a different institutional form to that in Ireland. Whereas in Ireland, as noted in Appendix II, the Irish Coursing Club took over the function of regulating greyhound racing, in the UK the tracks themselves set up a regulatory authority. This was the National Greyhound Racing Club which came into existence in 1928.

III.2The main purpose of the NGRC is to establish a clear basis for the conduct and operation of greyhound racing and to regulate its procedures. In drafting its rules, the NGRC followed the principles of the Jockey Club’s Rules of Racing. The NGRC’s stewards have the power to license race tracks, to conduct inquiries and to impose penalties. Stewards are appointed from the members of the NGRC. There are also six stipendiary stewards who are allocated to specific regions of the country. Neither the stewards nor members of the NGRC are permitted to have any involvement in the sport.

III.3The NGRC is financed by registration and licence fees. There is no government involvement in the industry either by way of finance or by way of regulation and control. These matters are entirely for the industry to decide through the NGRC. At the moment there are 35 NGRC tracks and in 1989 they had a total attendance of 4.4 million.

III.4Not all greyhound tracks in the UK are members of the NGRC. Three tracks in Northern Ireland are regulated by the Irish Coursing Club. But in addition there are 54 “independent” courses which run under their own rules. These tracks are financed from gate receipts and generally the quality of their facilities is inferior to that of the NGRC. In 1989 attendance at these tracks was estimated at 1 million.

III.5Parallel to the NGRC there is the British Greyhound Racing Board. This was founded in 1979 and is the successor to the National Greyhound Racing Society which was founded in 1928 but went out of existence in 1972. The object of the BGRB is to represent the industry to parliament, to act as the industry’s liaison body with the NGRC, to disseminate knowledge of the industry amongst the public and to generally promote the welfare and development of the industry.

III.6The BGRB is also responsible for the tote operating rules, the regulations governing on-course bookmaking and the sanction and approval of live television from NGRC licensed racecourses. The BGRB approves persons to become members of the NGRC.

III.7The Board has eight directors drawn from industry groups such as breeders, trainers, NGRC race courses and owners. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman must have no connection with the industry. The BGRB is assisted in its work by the Greyhound Advisory Body which comprises the Directors of the BGRB and a number of others who are representative of the NGRC race courses, breeders and bookmakers. A vet licensed by the NGRC is also included.