Sweden

Greyhound racing began in Sweden in 1953 with the formation of the first club in Stockholm.1 The main body organizing greyhound racing in Sweden is the Swedish Dogs Sports Federation (Svenska Hundkapplöpningssportens Centralförbund -SHCF). There are 11 greyhound tracks throughout the country.2 The SHCF held 72 racing competitions at these tracks in 2013.3

The SCHF has a broad set of racing regulations, including requirements for licensing, registration and pre-race veterinary checks. Sweden is also a member of the Continental Greyhound Racing Confederation and therefore must comply with the CGRC racing rules in any CGRC competitions.

According to the SHCF, there are currently 1,000 licensed racing greyhounds in the country.4 The dogs are bred in Sweden, with 32 greyhound and whippet breeding kennels listed on the SHCF website.5 There are 49 kennels listed on greyhound-data.com, an online database maintained by dog racing gamblers.6 However, at least some of the kennels appear on both websites.

Wagering on greyhound races is legal with the appropriate license in Sweden. While the state owned gaming company AB Svenska Spel is permitted to offer betting on greyhound racing under the terms of its license, they stopped offering such betting in 2005 due to lack of interest. As of November 2013 there are no non-profit associations with permission to conduct betting on greyhound races, meaning that wagering at the tracks would be illegal.7

  1. “Hundkapplöpning - en livsstil [Dogs- a lifestyle],” Svenska Hundkapplöpningssportens Centralförbund [Swedish Dogs Sports Federation], shcf.se (accessed October 7, 2014).
  2. "Banorna," Svenska Hundkapplöpningssportens Centralförbund [Swedish Dogs Sports Federation], shcf.se (accessed October 7, 2014).
  3. "Greyhound track overview-Europe," Greyhound Data, greyhound-data.com (accessed October 7, 2014).
  4. "Vanligaste frågorna [Frequently asked questions]," Svenska Hundkapplöpningssportens Centralförbund [Swedish Dogs Sports Federation], shcf.se (accessed October 7, 2014).
  5. "Uppfödarförteckning [Breeder list]," Svenska Hundkapplöpningssportens Centralförbund [Swedish Dogs Sports Federation], shcf.se (accessed October 7, 2014).
  6. "Greyhound breeder directory," Greyhound Data, greyhound-data.com (accessed October 7, 2014).
  7. Email from Åse Didriksson, Compliance Officer, Swedish Gambling Authority to Amelia Cook, Director of Research and Advocacy, GREY2K USA, November 19, 2013 2:12AM EST (on file with author).

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