A bill that eliminates greyhound racing in the state of west Virginia continued to make its way through the state Senate on Tuesday.

The bill to eliminate the Greyhound Breeding Development Fund had its second reading Tuesday after being laid over twice since first reading last Thursday.

The Senate is split over the bill, which would redirect over $17 million a year to the State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund.

Greyhound racing is held at Mardi Gras Casino in Charleston and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. It’s estimated to provide about 1,700 jobs in the state.

Senator Bill Ihlenfeld, D-1st District, thinks losing the industry could really hurt both areas.

Those in support of the bill say the money could be used elsewhere, rather than going to an industry that only remains in five states.

But Ihlenfeld says that declining numbers of live betting doesn’t matter because out-of-state bets have gone up by 19 percent at both casinos.

And he says that money doesn’t just benefit Ohio and Kanawha counties, but all 55 counties in the state.