Saying it's "inherently inhumane" as well as a money-loser for the state, supporters of House Bill 630 are hopeful that it will pass in the Legislature and subsequently see the phasing-out of greyhound racing in New Hampshire over the next two years.

Representatives of Somerville, Mass.-based GREY2K USA spoke about HB630 during a meeting Tuesday with the editorial board of The Citizen and both Paul LaFlamme and Mike Trombley said they liked the bill's chances.

GREY2K is a national, non-profit organization working to "pass stronger dog protection laws and close down existing greyhound racetracks" as well as to offer adoption referral services.

Where past, similar measures have failed, LaFlamme and Trombley said the bill would attract lawmaker votes because HB630 would allow the state's existing greyhound tracks — The Lodge at Belmont and Seabrook Greyhound Park — to continue to offer wagering on races that are simulcast from tracks around the country.

While protecting the source of more than 98 percent of their revenues, the bill would also free the tracks from the cost of having to offer 50 calendar days of live racing as part of their state pari-mutuel license and also leave them in a good position should the Legislature decide to expand gambling.

Sponsored by State Rep. Mary Cooney, D-Plymouth, HB630 would ban greyhound racing by Jan. 1, 2011, but it faces an uncertain future in the House of Representative's Local and Regulated Revenues Committee.

Chairman Mary Beth Walz, D- Bow, said her committee on Tuesday took an "inconclusive vote" on HB630, adding that the vote represented "a diversity of opinion" from witnesses and committee members. Walz said she would confer with House leaders to determine what Tuesday's vote meant to the future of the bill.

Earlier in the day, the committee voted that a bill which would have given the tracks the option to continue with live racing was inexpedient to legislate.

Trombley said HB630 was practical because it would lessen some of the state's loss of revenues in a difficult economic time.

He agreed with the characterization of some observers that the dog tracks are already, in many aspects, off-track-betting parlors, because patrons are there to bet on races broadcast from greyhound, thoroughbred and harness tracks in Florida or California and are less interested in the local live racing.

HB630, he said, "is a winner for everybody and nothing changes" in terms of the tracks being able to take advantage of any new laws that might expand gambling, most likely in the form of slot machines.

The Legislature picks up the larger gambling discussion on Thursday.

At present, The Lodge at Belmont and Seabrook operate 314 days of the year without live racing, so HB630 would change little, said Trombley and LaFlamme.

Walz said Rick Newman, who is a lobbyist for The Lodge, testified Tuesday that if given the choice, the track would not continue live racing, while Seabrook would. Newman was not immediately available for comment.

Trombley said the state loses $10,000 annually in overseeing live greyhound racing while LaFlamme noted that greyhound racing has long been subsidized by the state and that at just about one percent of the net revenues generated, it pales in comparison to the revenues brought in by simulcast wagering.

In 2008, the three dog tracks in New Hampshire — the track in Hinsdale shut down in December — had a total "handle" of $116 million in bets wagered, of which only $1.7 million was bet on live racing, while the rest was from simulcasts.

"Every year we continue to do this, we lose more money," Trombley said. "Every time a greyhound races in New Hampshire, the state loses money. Every time a greyhound races in New Hampshire, the track loses money," he continued, while a dog is put at risk of its life from a track-related injury.

"All we're saying is, why are these dogs running in circles when we're losing money?"

With greyhound racing on the decline in New Hampshire, the economic argument against HB630 has lost some steam, said Trombley and LaFlamme, because the live racing would perish of its own accord eventually.

"Those jobs are going away regardless," said LaFlamme, adding that greyhound racing is "inherently inhumane" and the tracks couldn't be improved to the point where they are safe for the dogs.

"Maybe it's time that we pull the plug on this archaic activity that isn't working for us anymore," he said.