Ayre Swears He's Out of Public Spotlight for Good

Calvin Ayre, founder of Bodog.com, insists he is retired and out of the picture for good.

Ayre told Gambling911.com Tuesday that the rigors of traveling and always being in the spotlight had taken its toll and he no longer wanted to deal with any of it.  Instead, he's willing to settle for retirement and spending the rest of his adult life sailing the seas off Antigua.

"I will be involved in other projects, but very low profile," he told G911.

Ayre has been immersing himself in real estate ventures of late, though he would not elaborate.

This is a far cry from just two years ago when the bubbly billionaire and prince of all media partied hard with the likes of Paris Hilton, Shannon Elizabeth and even Snoop Dog.

"I never liked the spotlight, but it was necessary to build the brand," he said. 

In 2006, Ayre was featured on the cover of Forbes prestigious Billionaire issue.

The Bodog brand has turned into a multi-million dollar enterprise, though exact numbers are not readily available since the company is private.

Ayre was forced to back out of US marketing efforts after a handful of high profile arrests of online gambling CEOs took place beginning in July 2006 and continuing throughout 2008. 

Recently there has been much talk over the arrest of a well regarded industry bookmaker in Panama and rumors swirling that a member of the CIA has partnered with one online gambling outfit that once advertised on the Gambling911.com website. 

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published April 23, 2008 1:03 am EST