Tucson Greyhound Park will close for good at the end of June, 78 years after opening and six years after the last dog race there.
In a message posted on the former greyhound racetrackβs website and Facebook page, the park said it will be hosting the Belmont Stakes on June 11 before closing its doors.
βWe are sad to say that it will be our last Belmont as we will be shutting our doors at the end of June 2022,β the park said in a message to patrons.
It is unclear what will happen with the historic racetrack property at 2601 S. Third Ave.
The dog track, which opened in 1944, has been hosting simulcast horse and dog racing and offering parimutuel off-track betting since dog racing was ended by state law in 2016, after 72 years of racing at the Tucson track.
Officials of Tucson Greyhound Park did not respond to requests for comment on the impending closure or future plans for the site.
Closure of the former dog track will leave Tucson with only three licensed brick-and-mortar off-track betting sites.
Such operations have faced increased competition for gamblerβs dollars from tribal casinos, and more recently in Arizona, from online sports betting.
The legislation that launched online sports betting in Arizona last September also allows bettors to place online parimutuel bets on horse and dog races through βadvanced deposit wagering,β in which the bettor must fund an account with authorized sites before being allowed to place bets.
Arizona had allowed such wagering by telephone only since 2014.
The remaining off-track betting sites in the Tucson area are at Famous Samβs East, 7129 E. Golf Links Road; Midtown Tavern, 3620 N. First Ave.; and Old Father Inn, 4080 W. Ina Road.
Photos: Greyhound racing in Tucson through the years
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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A greyhound hits full airborne stride as it races down the frontstretch.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Track workers present the greyhounds for last inspection before loading them into the gates for a race.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Track workers present the greyhounds for last inspection before loading them into the gates for a race as spectators size up the field.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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The sky glows a multitude of hues on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Greyhounds tear down the frontstretch on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Alicia Heiserer, track controller, and Eric Baugher, simulcast operator, admire a cell phone picture of the weather atop the roof of Tucson Greyhound Park.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Greyhounds take off out of the gates on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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A greyhound breaks through the spotlight of the finish line on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Track workers bring out the greyhounds for a race on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Greyhounds tear down the frontstretch on the last day of live racing.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Tucson Greyhound Park, ca. 1950s.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Tucson Greyhound Park, ca. 1950s.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Trainers walk their dogs around the track at Tucson Greyhound Park in 1980.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Handlers with dogs before a race at Tucson Greyhound Park in 1990.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Robert Fickett checks the weight of one of his 30 racing dogs while helper Mary Montono records the information at the Fickett's 40-acre farm north of Tucson in 1983.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Robert and Michele Fickett's 200-foot running pens for their greyhounds in Tucson in 1983. The Fickett's owned 150 greyhounds pups raised to racing dogs.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Michele Fickett gives greyhounds shots and looks after their general health at the Fickett's 40-acre farm north of Tucson in 1983.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Greyound racing dogs under the care of Robert and Michele Fickett have breakfast in air-conditioned cages in 1983.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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An injured greyhound racing dog recuperates under the a sign of a sprinting dog on the farm owned by Robert and Michele Fickett in 1983.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Robert Fickett takes some of his greyhounds for a morning run on the family's 40-acre farm north of Tucson in 1983.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Greyhound racing dogs during a weigh-in at Tucson Greyhound Park in 1982.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Annamarie Padilla mans the betting counter at Jeff's Pub at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006. The off track betting feed from Tucson Greyhound Park had been blacked out by its provider, Paradise Turf because of contract expiration.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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A dark brindle female greyhound Khaki Katie, 3, is shown to the crowd before racing in the first race, Grade D, at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Greyhounds run in a Grade D race at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006. The slowest grade of dog race - and one step away from the end of a racing career - Grade D races feature greyhounds that aren't quick enough to win faster races.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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People sit inside and outside to watch the greyhound racing at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Juan Rocha, center left, Julien Ruiz, center right, and veterinarian Betty Menke, right, check greyhounds before a race at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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With muzzles off greyhound dogs wait for their food in their cages at the Tucson Greyhound Park. The park had an adoption drive to try and find homes for 200 retired greyhounds in 2007.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Michelle Swift, an assistant trainer, at Tucson Greyhound Park, brings the dogs back into their cages after they have an opportunity to go outside in 2007.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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A fire at Tucson Greyhound Park in May 1949 caused $100,000 damage. From "Jack Sheaffer's Tucson 1945-1965."
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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South Tucson firefighters ascend a ladder to assess the fire situation on the tower at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2009.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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South Tucson firefighters battle a blaze in the tower at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2009.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Workers at Tucson Greyhound Park hurry to finish the clubhouse painting work and seat installations on the park's new $700,000 starting box before the opening race that night on Dec. 29, 1983.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Manny Serrato keeps an eye on the odds and the tracks at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 1999 where off track betting is a yearround deal.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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"Greyhound athletes," as they are called at Tucson Greyhound Park, compete for an inside position on the straight during training runs at the track in 2003.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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A group of greyhounds run around the track at Tucson Greyhound Park as customers place bets on the race in 2003.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Tags, which are used to identify the dog and the race they are in, hand on the wall at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2011.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Donna Mann pets Mystic Rhythms, a racing greyhound, at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2011.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Donna Mann, a kennel owner, pets Kotote Rita, a racing greyhound, at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2011.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Hector Garcia, right, scale clerk and kennel master at the Tucson Greyhound Park, weighs in dogs before the races on a Saturday night in 2000. On Saturday 128 dogs raced.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Greyhounds break out of the starting box on Saturday night at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2000.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Tucson Greyhound Park, shown in 2004, sits in the heart of the city of South Tucson. The city was incorporated in 1940.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Local greyhound adoption groups are looking for foster volunteers to help transition former racers into pets.
