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The Antiguan government is working with the United States to have its operators granted amnesty to enter and exit the US, Gambling911.com can reveal. Most online gaming operators have feared coming to the the United States after a series of high profile arrests and the initialization of Internet gambling prohibition. Whether Bodog Founder Calvin Ayre and some of his cronies will have such a pardon by this weekend's Gambling911.com Championship Playoffs Party in Miami Beach remains to be seen. Following last year's party, Ayre made it no secret that he was beginning to miss traveling in the US. "It's the first time I actually really wanted to come back," Ayre told us after seeing old friends frolicking around half naked at last year's party. This year's party is the talk of everyone in online gambling, but unfortunately there will be no actual operators in attendance due to current prohibition concerns. Antigua is set to sit down with US trade officials on Thursday to discuss this matter.
Antigua and
Barbuda's finance
minister, Errol Cort,
said "We believe
this matter can be
settled in an
amicable way because
we enjoy an
excellent
relationship with
the United States,"
he said. The settlement in question pertains to the World Trade Organization ruling that Antigua could impose US$21 million in annual trade sanctions and not the US$3.4 billion the island had requested, after winning an online gambling dispute. Antigua has insisted the U.S. is trying to cripple its gambling industry by banning Americans from placing online bets with gambling operators, including those based on the island. Assuming the US allows such operators residing in Antigua to move about the United States freely, there will still be concerns centered around states like Louisiana that have filed at least a dozen sealed arrest warrants against online gambling executives. There is also the long standing matter of World Sports Exchange owners, Steve Shillinger and Hayden Ware, who remain fugitives in Antigua after being indicted for violation of the 1962 Wire Act back in 1998. Ayre began operating out of Antigua in late 2006 following the acquisition of BetCorp (formerly World Wide Tele Sports). Some principals in BetCorp had also been indicted previously. In fact, a second indictment of BetCorp executive, Jessica Davis, in June of 2006 was followed by a series of high profile arrests involving big name online gaming firms such as BetonSports and Neteller. BetCorp itself was not named in that indictment not has Bodog retained any of the previous BetCorp executives. Antigua this week was denied advertising rights for its operators in the United States in what was viewed by many industry analysts as a slap in the face. Bodog had been adjusting to its new domain name - BodogLife.com - after an ugly patent lawsuit that caused the Bodog.com URL to go dormant last year. ---- Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com Originally published January 17, 2008 10:19 am EST
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Calvin
Ayre Could be
Granted Amnesty
Along With Other
Antigua Online
Gambling Operators