GREY2K USA Worldwide and Animal Wellness Action celebrated the U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s adoption of the Greyhound Protection Act, H.R. 5017, by amendment into H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, also known as the Farm Bill. The legislation will prohibit dog racing nationwide, bar US gamblers from betting on foreign races and block the export of American dogs for racing elsewhere.

Once the sixth largest spectator sport in the US, greyhound racing now occurs at just at two tracks in West Virginia, both owned by Delaware North, a New York-based gambling and food-service company, which has signaled its desire to step back from this outdated and unpopular form of gambling. Greyhound racing is illegal in 44 states, and remote gambling on dog races has recently been prohibited in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Oregon. A generation ago, there were 60 tracks in the United States, so the collapse of racing has been precipitous.

The Greyhound Protection Act was introduced last year by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), who also offered last night’s successful amendment to the Farm Bill. The legislation is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 28 members of Congress, including Rep. Randy Fine, R-Florida, Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C. Nunn and Davis both spoke in favor of the amendment, which passed overwhelmingly by a voice vote of the Agriculture Committee. The groups thanked these lawmakers for their leadership on the issue.

“This is an historic victory for the protection of greyhounds, and the result of decades of grassroots campaigning. We are grateful for the leadership of these legislative champions who have given the dogs a voice,” said GREY2K USA Worldwide Executive Director Carey Theil.

Dogs used for racing are kept confined in stacked metal cages for up to 23 hours a day. When let out to race, they suffer serious injuries including broken legs and backs, crushed skulls, and paralysis. In 2024, 487 greyhound injuries were reported at the final two tracks in West Virginia, including 162 dogs that suffered broken bones and thirteen dogs that died. Since 2020, greyhound breeders in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado have been documented killing rabbits in cruel “live lure” training exercises.

“Passing the Greyhound Protection Act in the House Agriculture Committee is more evidence of the emerging national consensus that greyhound racing is archaic and inhumane. This is just the first step on this legislative journey, but it’s the first ever vote on the Greyhound Protection Act and it signals future success,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy.

In 2018, Florida voters passed a ballot measure to end gambling on greyhound races with 69% of the statewide vote. Florida was the first state to legalize dog racing in 1931 and prior to the launch of the ballot measure campaign, Florida hosted 12 of the 18 tracks operating in the US. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was then Attorney General of Florida, actively supported the measure. Multiple other states followed Florida’s lead, including Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, and Texas. However, West Virginia law currently mandates that greyhound racing continue as a condition of offering other forms of gambling. The state also requires annual subsidy payments of up to $22 million to owners of racing dogs.

“Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane, and will soon be relegated to the dustbin of history. In modern society, greyhounds are loving companions, and should not be used and abused as gambling props,” said GREY2K USA Worldwide President and General Counsel Christine A. Dorchak, who drafted the bill.

The Greyhound Protection Act has been endorsed by more than 250 animal protection groups, local animal shelters, anti-gambling organizations, international NGOs, and greyhound adoption groups. In the last Congress, a nearly identical bill won the support of 80 cosponsors. Notable endorsers include Stop Predatory Gambling, the Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia, Eastwood Ranch Rescue, the National Greyhound Adoption Program, the National Humane Education Society and Best Friends Animal Society.

The federal government has authority on this subject because dogs are bred and transported across state lines for racing and races are broadcast to numerous states for simulcast gambling. The bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to achieve its purpose of ending greyhound racing.

Digicode, a leading provider of next-generation iGaming solutions, announced its participation in NEXT.io Summit NYC 2026: Innovation in iGaming, one of North America’s most influential iGaming and sports betting events taking place March 10–11, 2026, at Convene, 225 Liberty Street, Downtown New York.

NEXT.io Summit NYC 2026 brings together more than 1,200 senior executives, investors, technology leaders, operators, and innovators from across the global iGaming and sports betting ecosystem to explore breakthrough technologies, partnerships, and growth opportunities shaping the future of online gaming.

“At a time when the industry is rapidly evolving, NEXT.io Summit NYC serves as the premier stage for strategic conversation, innovation, and partnership,” said Elkhan Shabanov, CEO of Digicode Americas. “We’re excited to showcase our cutting-edge solutions that empower operators and suppliers to build faster, scale smarter, and take ownership of their technology stack.”

During NEXT.io Summit NYC 2026, Digicode will demonstrate how the Diger Suite empowers iGaming businesses to modernize their technology stack, offering a modular ecosystem of advanced solutions engineered to replace legacy systems with flexible, scalable, and performance-driven infrastructure:

• DigerRGS – Next-generation iGaming platform with full IP control and capacity for high throughput performance
• DigerPAM – Cross-market ready player account management system
• DigerPay – PSP-agnostic payment gateway supporting 200+ methods with real-time fraud protection
• DigerClick – Fully owned affiliate management platform with customizable tools and analytics
• DigerCompanion – AI-driven assistant for multilingual support, responsible gaming automation, and compliance management

During the event, Digicode experts will  share real-world use cases and actionable frameworks to help industry leaders transition from legacy constraints to competitive advantage. Key topics include scaling rent-to-own iGaming platforms, automating support and compliance with AI, building resilient payment stacks, owning affiliate systems, and operating in regulated markets with adaptive technology.

Gronk makes high-stakes debut taking on poker legends Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari 

Four-time Super Bowl champion and FanDuel Ambassador Rob Gronkowski is competing in a new arena as the former NFL tight end makes his high-stakes poker debut in Las Vegas on PokerStar’s The Big Game on Tour. Gronk goes head-to-head with some of the game’s best-known pros.

Known for his dominance on the football field and his larger-than-life personality, Gronk tests his competitive instincts at the poker table, where he is reading opponents, attempting a poker-face, cracking jokes and cracking aces when trying to take down pots worth thousands.

Gronk joins a table that includes:

• Phil Hellmuth, 17-time World Series of Poker champion
• Antonio Esfandiari, one of poker’s most recognisable high-stake pros
• Rania Nasreddine, a rising star known for fearless play
• Nick Wright, sports broadcaster and analyst
• Luke Waekelin, the loose cannon who earned his seat playing online on PokerStars

Season 2 of The Big Game on Tour features high stakes cash game action filmed in Las Vegas during the PokerStars North American Poker Tour and blends established poker players with celebrity competitors and ambitious qualifiers. The result is an unpredictable mix of elite gameplay, competitive ego and real money drama. Gronk’s appearance highlights the crossover appeal between professional sports and poker where competitors use skills in psychology, risk-taking and performance under pressure.

New episodes air weekly beginning Sunday, March 8 with the season culminating on April 5. Episodes are available via PokerStars’ YouTube channels.

Season 2 Release Schedule:

• Sunday, March 8 – BGOT Season 2 Episode 11
• Sunday, March 15 – BGOT Season 2 Episode 12
• Sunday, March 22 – BGOT Season 2 Episode 13
• Sunday, March 29 – BGOT Season 2 Episode 14
• Sunday, April 5 – BGOT Season 2 Episode 15

The latest season arrives just in time to celebrate the launch of FanDuel and PokerStars in the US, marking the coming together of the two brands.

To find out more, head to the PokerStars Blog.

For more details, please contact [email protected].

More information on responsible gaming can be found at: pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/