Bovada: The Hidden Meaning Behind Newly Branded Poker Site Revealed
Throughout the day, some of us who must not have better things to do with our lives were trying to figure out the meaning of the new Bodog rebranded Bovada.lv (which can actually be accessed from the .com address)
While the new branding change for US customers was announced a few months back, the actual change seemed a bit more abrupt. Nobody from the company is yet to explain the meaning of this rather odd domain name. Even the CalvinAyre.com website (owned by Bodog founder Calvin Ayre) appeared to be caught off guard by the change (or is otherwise too embarrassed to promote it). They featured an article later in the day that was buried beneath other headlines.
When the Bodog.com name first came into existence, many industry diehards found themselves scratching their heads. A high ranking BetOnSports executive at the time said to us: “What kind of a stupid name is that?”.
But the rest is history. Ayre found himself on the cover of Forbes 2006 Billionaire’s issue and Bodog.com practically became a household name in the sense that most people, even those who never gambled before, had heard of the company.
But Bodog had a personality and swagger. The original Bodog logo featured – what else – a dog…one with a big gold spiked chain.
Bovada seems to lack any type of existence…at least on the surface.
The site is registered in Latvia as a .LV extension, but is meant to appear as if the site will be based out of Las Vegas. As such, a picture of Sin City appears on the home page of the site.
Assuming “Bo” is just a carry over identifier from the old “Bodog”, let’s look at the meaning of the word “Vada”.
The term does translate into “Powerful Ruler” and, indeed, we found one such ruler from the Fante Confederacy, a now dissolved African tribe that existed between the years 1868 and 1878. Though short-lived, the Confederation is seen as one of the first self-ruled movements in Africa. Among the chiefs, Ahiru Kwabina Bovada.
In Latvian, the term does translate into “Chairman”. In Latin, “Vada” means a “Stronghold In”.
But if you are looking for a yummy treat, why not have yourself a Vada Fritter, only 50 calories. Yes, “Vada” can also mean “Fritter”. Just type “Vada” into Google Image.
“BO” incidentally can translate into “Best Offer” or “Body Odor”. It can also mean “Business Objective”.
When given to a man, the name “Bo” often means “Handsome”, though it has come to be spelled as “Beau”.
“Bobo” is the name of a famous clown.
Ultimately, if you elect to play on the Bovada.lv website, you could be playing online poker with “The Chief Who Doesn’t Shower”.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
