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Greyhound track to close

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005 | 9:40 a.m.

DELAVAN, Wis. -- Financial woes will force the Geneva Lakes Greyhound Track to close in November after more than 15 years of operation, the racetrack's general manager said.

The closing Nov. 6 will leave Wisconsin with one greyhound track, Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha.

"The operation is simply not financially sustainable any longer," according to a letter to Geneva Lakes workers from track general manager Milt Roth.

About 200 workers will lose their jobs, Roth said. The track, which opened in 1990, contracts with about 75 kennel owners.

Roth said the track lost customers and revenue to casinos, and he also cited Gov. Jim Doyle's recent veto of "instant racing simulcast machines," video game-like machines that let users bet on prerecorded races.

"We have no hope," Roth said. "We can't compete against (casinos). There's nothing we can do."

The track's attendance declined about 8 percent this year compared with last year, when the track attracted 182,054 visitors, Roth said. According to the track's 2005 license application with the state, the track predicted after-tax income losses of $3.5 million.

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