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North, a New York-based gambling and food-service company, which has signaled its desire to step back from this outdated and unpopular form of gambling.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.

SCCG Management, a global advisory firm specializing in gaming, sports betting, iGaming, and hospitality technology, announced a strategic partnership with clevaQ, a fully agnostic, integrated ordering solution that seamlessly connects operators to their best-of-breed systems, purpose-built for gaming and hospitality venues.

clevaQ’s newest ground-breaking solution, clevaQ Bridge, enables guests to order directly from gaming machines, delivering a true VIP experience at every EGM. Players can order paid or complimentary food and beverage at the machine via the respective touchscreen, seamlessly integrating ordering into the gaming journey without interrupting play. Fully connected to the venue’s member loyalty ecosystem, the solution allows members to earn and redeem benefits through the gaming system, with all transactions settling directly through the venue’s Point of Sale and Property Management systems.

Under the agreement, SCCG will lead global sales distribution, enterprise introductions, and strategic business development for clevaQ across commercial casinos, tribal gaming enterprises, regional operators, integrated resorts, and hospitality groups. The partnership positions clevaQ for accelerated expansion into complex, multi-outlet gaming environments where guest experience, member engagement, and operational efficiency are critical drivers of growth.

clevaQ delivers a comprehensive ordering ecosystem that connects a venue’s POS, member loyalty, and property management systems into a single, complete solution. As a truly agnostic platform, clevaQ integrates seamlessly with existing technology stacks, allowing operators to modernize ordering and loyalty engagement without replacing infrastructure. Transactions synchronize across systems in real time, providing unified visibility across gaming and hospitality spend.

With clevaQ, guests can enjoy the same seamless ordering experience in-room, poolside, while dining at the table, or directly from the EGM, creating a consistent, property-wide commerce environment across every touchpoint.

Venues are empowered by providing guests a comprehensive ordering experience, with tailored options for upsell, specials, marketing campaigns, scheduling controls, and fully customized theming to match brand identity. clevaQ’s ability to support multiple outlets within a single cart experience increases average order values, simplifies service flow during peak periods, and strengthens non-gaming revenue performance, all while reinforcing loyalty participation.

“The gaming and hospitality industries are rapidly evolving toward integrated, guest-first service models,” said Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management. “clevaQ provides operators with a comprehensive commerce layer that connects ordering, member loyalty ecosystems, and gaming systems into one cohesive environment. Through our global advisory network and distribution capabilities, we look forward to accelerating clevaQ’s adoption across commercial and tribal gaming markets seeking scalable, system-compatible innovation.”

“clevaQ was built to be the industry’s most complete and agnostic ordering system which connects your own best of breed, allowing operators to maintain their chosen sources of truth while providing an enhanced user experience for their guests and members” said Paul Pisani, Founder and Managing Director of clevaQ. “We do not require operators to rip and replace existing systems. Instead, we unify POS, loyalty, PMS, and on prem communications into a single digital journey that enhances the guest experience while preserving prior investments. Our partnership with SCCG accelerates our ability to bring this solution to operators globally.”

As gaming operators continue to prioritize non-gaming revenue growth and seamless member engagement, the partnership between SCCG and clevaQ represents a strategic alignment between advanced venue commerce technology and a global advisory platform positioned to support enterprise deployment and long-term market expansion.

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.