Sportsbook News

ScAYREy Fact: Bodog Founder’s Attorney Slotnick had Not Lost a Case in 12 Years

News of Bodog founder Calvin Ayre hiring the father-son tandem of Barry and Stuart Slotnick to represent him in a criminal case filed by the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland might not have resonated throughout the industry the way it should have.  Hardly any industry media outside of Gambling911.com really reported on this story. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Apr/05/2012

iMEGA Files Notice of Appeal Regarding Kentucky Domain Seizure

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (IMEGA) has submitted a Motion of Appeal regarding the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s attempt to seize 141 Internet domain names related to online gambling, some of which are no longer being utilized or have since been seized by the US Justice Department. 

On March 8, Judge Thomas Wingate ruled that no party with adequate standing had presented themselves to contest the forfeiture order issued nearly four years ago.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Apr/04/2012

Palms Casino Prepares to Open New Sportsbook

The fabulous Palms Casino is preparing to open a brand new state-of-the-art sportsbook.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Apr/04/2012

BetOnline.ag Opens Its Doors

BetOnline is excited to announce that on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 they will transfer all of their accounts to the website www.BetOnline.ag.  

BetOnline

Submitted by Guest on, Apr/04/2012

New Jersey Plans to Take Online Bets From Across US but Utah Can Fugetaboutit

A signature piece of legislation that would make New Jersey the second state to offer online gambling within its own borders made it through a state Senate subcommittee with ease despite earlier concerns of potential opposition.  Nevada became the first late last year but its law hinges heavily on a federal ban on Internet gambling being lifted. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Apr/03/2012

New Jersey Internet Gambling Bill Passes Senate Committee

(Associated Press) - An Internet gambling bill approved by a New Jersey Senate committee Tuesday would let Atlantic City casinos take bets from gamblers in other states and even other countries, as long as federal and state authorities agree it’s legal.

New Jersey has been racing to try to get Internet gambling up and running and stake an early claim to leadership in a potential multi-billion-dollar industry.

But even as the bill edges closer to approval, and supporters try to address legal concerns that led Gov. Chris Christie to veto it last year, its scope is growing.

Submitted by Guest on, Apr/03/2012

Trump News Causes 888 Holdings Shares to Surge

Overnight news that real estate and casino mogul Donald Trump is in talks with 888 Holdings to potentially offer “real money” online poker play in the US has sent that company’s shares surging to a 56-week high of 65 pence earlier in the day.  New Jersey, which is home to a handful of Trump-branded casino establishments, is looking to become a hub for the regulated online poker industry. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Apr/03/2012

New York Times: The Neighborhood Bookie Gets High Tech and Goes Pay Per Head

This weekend, the New York Times featured a good article on the local bookies and how they have reinvented themselves by going online.

From The Times

The basic setup is simple: Instead of taking a phone call from every hopeful bettor, the bookie directs his clients to a Web site, where bets can be recorded, tracked and totaled. The bookie can then log on and see who owes — or is owed — money in the coming week.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Apr/01/2012

William Hill Having Tough Time Getting Nevada License: Under Intense Scrutiny

One of the United Kingdom’s biggest bookmakers is having a rough go at breaking into the US market.

European companies are looking to forge relationships with US-based casinos in an effort to get a leg's up in the critical US regulated online gambling market....once it opens up.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Mar/29/2012

Betfair to Introduce New Brand: Enters Fixed-Odds Market

The world’s largest betting exchange, Betfair, has announced its intention to enter the lucrative fixed-odds market. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Mar/28/2012

888.com Reports Full Year Earnings Nearly Doubling

(Reuters) - British online gaming company 888 Holdings' full-year earnings  nearly doubled, helped by strong growth of its casino and poker offering, and the company named Brian Mattingley as chief executive.

The company, which operates 888 casino, poker, sport and bingo brands, said it planned to invest in several newly regulated markets across Europe and the United States.

More Britons prefer to stay at home, watching TV and gambling online, updates from consumer-facing companies showed, amid fears that the UK will slip back into recession.

Submitted by Guest on, Mar/27/2012

Sportingbet Looking to Re-enter US Market After Paying Fine to US Government

Reuters was reporting that Sportingbet, one of Europe’s biggest online gambling firms, has made a final payment of $6 million to the U.S. Justice Department, as per a settlement reached in 2010 over alleged illegal Internet gambling, and said that it was exploring opportunities to re-enter the market.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Mar/27/2012

Matchbook Betting Exchange Looks to Expand in Europe, Asia With Multi-Currencies

Matchbook Betting Exchange is delighted to announce the release of their new multi-currency platform. This will allow all customers to bet in Euro, Sterling, Canadian and Hong Kong Dollars, as well as the previously available US Dollars. Since being newly acquired in early 2011, there has been heavy investment in the product and this is the first of a number of exciting announcements, including a fully functional mobile application, to come in the next few months.

Submitted by Guest on, Mar/14/2012

William Hill to Open Talks With Playtech Following Tel Aviv Debacle

(Reuters) - William Hill (WMH.L) is to open talks with Playtech (PTEC.L) this month to try to salvage the companies' joint online venture following a breakdown in relations last year, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Submitted by Guest on, Mar/12/2012

Bwin.Party Formally Applies for Nevada Internet Poker License

Bwin.Party, the world’s largest real money gambling firm, has officially filed for a Nevada state Internet poker license.

Nevada looks to allow intrastate online poker in the coming months following passage of legislation late last year.  Nevada could incorporate multi-state pacts in the future as well.  Ultimately, the state was looking to become a hub for online poker companies following the passage of a federal law, however, many experts now believe the industry will develop exclusively at the local state level. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Mar/07/2012

Horse Racing Group Won’t Oppose New Jersey Bill to Make State Hub for US Online Gambling

New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak believes his co-authored legislation to make the Garden State an Internet gambling hub should pass on March 15 with actual money play likely by September. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Mar/07/2012

Bodog Shuts Down Costa Rica Office

Bodog has shut down its Costa Rica based office.  Employees reported arriving to find they were locked out. 

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The company still operates from bases outside of Montreal, Quebec, Antigua and in London. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Mar/05/2012

Memo to Calvin Ayre: Head for Hong Kong…or Zimbabwe!

They say Laos is lovely this time of year.

So are Qatar, Angola and Nepal.

Vietnam gets a little hot, however, as does Cambodia and Indonesia.

And of course Libya, Tunisia and Syria are hot spots right now too, but in a different way.

For Canadian billionaire and Bodog.com founder Calvin Ayre, however, these Third-World hell-holes might be looking like islands of paradise right about now.

Submitted by Thomas Somach on, Mar/02/2012

Pirates Come to Ayre’s Defense

The Pirate Party of Canada has lashed out at the US Government’s indictment of native son and Bodog founder, Calvin Ayre. 

BetOnline

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Mar/01/2012

Techdirt.com: Federal Agents Did Not Gamble on Bodog.com

An interesting argument was raised by a colleague of Gambling911.com Tuesday following the indictment of Bodog.com and four individuals connected to the company.

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The US Attorneys Office in Maryland announced the indictment Tuesday immediately following the seizure of the Bodog.com domain. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/29/2012

Almost Paradise: Poker Site Sees Sharp 33 Percent Decline

Paradise Poker, once among the top three largest Internet card rooms in the world, witnessed a sharp decline in revenues of 33 percent in the first 6 months of its financial year to end January 2012.

The company, which is owned by sports betting powerhouse Sportingbet Plc, called the current poker market conditions “challenging”.

Poker makes up 6.0 percent of gross gaming revenue.

Sportingbet overall recorded a loss for the period. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/29/2012

Ayre Don’t Care: Bovada, Bodog Say Business as Usual

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.

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Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/28/2012

Bodog, Calvin Ayre, et al. Indictment (Full Court Document)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  :

v.

BODOG ENTERTAINMENT GROUP S.A., d/b/a BODOG.com, CALVIN AYRE, JAMES PHILIP,

DAVID FERGUSON, and DERRICK MALONEY,

Defendants.

: :    CRIMINAL NO. :      (Conducting gambling business, :  18 U.S.C. §1955; Money :      laundering conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. :       §1956(h); Aiding and :   abetting, 18 U.S.C. §2; : Forfeiture, 18 U.S.C. :         §§982(a)(1) and 1955(d)). :

...ooo0ooo... INDICTMENT COUNT ONE (Conducting gambling business)

Submitted by Guest on, Feb/28/2012

Bodog Founder Calvin Ayre Indicted

Federal prosecutors in Baltimore on Tuesday unsealed an indictment against Calvin Ayre following the seizure of the Bodog.com domain name late Monday night.  Ayre was profiled in the cover story of the Forbes Billionaire issue. 

A press release was expected by the US Attorney’s Office out of Maryland shortly. 

Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. Attorney in Baltimore, indicted Ayre and three other men, James Philip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney. The company, Bodog Entertainment Group, is also under indictment and its domain name has been seized by federal prosecutors.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/28/2012

Defendants in Hellinger Case to Reach Plea Agreement Tuesday

Gambling911.com has learned that defendants in an online gambling case dating back to 2005 are set to enter pleas on Tuesday.

The US Attorney’s Office in Eastern Pennsylvania charged Don Hellinger and four other men with illegal distribution of over $40 million in Internet gambling winnings during the years 2005 and 2006 through a money transfer company, Payment Processing, Inc.  Hellinger was also alleged to have been involved in mail fraud. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/28/2012

Bodog.com Domain Seizure ‘Dog’ Years in the Making

The sudden seizure of the Bodog.com domain name late Monday night was not so sudden, Gambling911.com can reveal, nor was it exactly easy to achieve.

The US Attorney’s Office in Maryland, which was responsible for a series of online gambling company domain seizures last May, had been probing Bodog and the company’s colorful founder, Calvin Ayre, since 2003.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/28/2012

US Government Responds to Hellinger Case Motion to Continue

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Friday responded to defendant Jami Pearlman’s Motion to Continue and Sever the March 12, 2012 trial whereby he and five other individuals are charged with illegally processing payments for various online gambling companies during a period from January 2005 to February 2006. 

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Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/26/2012

William Hill Eyes US Entry

William Hill on Friday announced its expansion plans, and they include the lucrative US market.

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"Nevada is a land-based opportunity and we will see what happens in the US thereafter. But we first of all have to get these licenses and we expect that to happen some time this year," Hill CEO Ralph Topping said.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/24/2012

i-Gaming North America 2012 Conference to Take Place March 4-6

Everybody with even the slightest interest in the potential for legalized Internet gambling in North America will be in attendance at the first ever i-Gaming North America 2012 Conference, being held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas March 4 thru 6.

i-Gaming North America describes itself as the first networking and educational event designed to introduce the land-based gaming businesses of North America to the global iGaming industry.

Speakers include:

Alexandra Berzon, Reporter, Wall Street Journal

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/23/2012

WagerWeb.com Online Sportsbook, Casino Joins the Gambling911.com Family

Gambling911.com is thrilled to announce the return of WagerWeb.com to its portfolio of fine online sportsbooks just in time for March Madness.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/21/2012

Breaking News

Top Betting Markets May 30 - Hot Searches

While MLB games dominate the Friday evening schedule, on Saturday the Pacers have a shot at advancing to the NBA Finals should they beat the New York Knicks.  We also have UFC Fight Night on Saturday.