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Following an indictment against Bodog founder Calvin Ayre Tuesday after a year’s long investigation into online sports betting, Ayre told his own self-named news website his life won’t be impacted.
He told CalvinAyre.com:
“I see this as abuse of the US criminal justice system for the commercial gain of large US corporations. It is clear that the online gaming industry is legal under international law and in the case of these documents is it also clear that the rule of law was not allowed to slow down a rush to try to win the war of public opinion.
“These documents were filed with Forbes magazine before they were filed anywhere else and were drafted with the consumption of the media as a primary objective. We will all look at this and discuss the future with our advisors, but it will not stop my many business interests globally that are unrelated to anything in the US and it will not stop my many charity projects through my foundation. You can also follow this story here on the number one global online gaming news and entertainment site and the only site I will be doing interviews with for the next while…CalvinAyre.com”
Ayre has not traveled to or from the United States since 2006 nor have either of his co-defendants. Each of the Canadians were charged with money laundering and violating a US gambling act for their role in promoting sports betting within the state of Maryland.
Among the other men charged: James Philip, age 58; David Ferguson; and Derrick Maloney. All were high-ranking executives at Bodog though Maloney, an ad exec, has long left the company.
The investigation into Bodog has been ongoing since 2006 with an initial probe of Calvin Ayre beginning as early as 2003. The US Attorney’s Office in Maryland has reportedly concluded its investigation into online gambling with the unsealing of the Ayre indictment. Few industry observers were surprised by Tuesday’s action and rumors have swirled for months regarding a sealed indictment against Ayre and/or Bodog.
While arrests warrants have been issued against all four men, none were expected to be detained unless they enter the US. Likewise, no bank accounts were seized in connection with Tuesday’s indictment.
Neither Bovada.lv or Bodog.eu and its related properties anticipated service disruptions as a result of Tuesday’s actions.
Only the now dormant website Bodog.com was seized as a result of the investigation.
The US Attorney stressed that this investigation was specific to sports betting despite Bodog having offered a successful online poker site that caters to US customers. The Bovada website continues to provide online poker to players living in the US.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
