Arguably the next two years were the best for Bodog when it comes to growth and exposure, but ultimately they may have caused them a lot more pain in the long run. In 2005, the company again organized its Sports and Poker Marketing Conference, this time attracting more than 1,000 attendees.
The Bodog complex was being built in Costa Rica, and it was there that many of the lavish parties that made Bodog famous took place. In fact, the party scenes in the movie Runner Runner were inspired by Bodog's famous parties.
Not satisfied with putting the Bodog name across the entire game world, Ayre turned his attention to building the Bodog brand (along with his own personal exposure). Bodog used his huge gaming success to dabble in various businesses, including a music label (Bodog Music), an MMA fighting company (Bodog Fight), and his own version of football (Bodog Lingerie Bowl).
All of these startups included a couple of consistent features: the Bodog brand, which was on every company, and the face of its legendary Founder, Calvin Ayre.
Ayre's ego was now at its highest point; There wasn't a photo of him without at least a couple of Bodog beauties on him, and the man wanted to be at the center of all the hype surrounding his companies. This led to the development of a reality show, essentially based on poker, but which showed OFF Ayre buying luxury cash items worldwide.
The online gaming industry had a playboy, and while he wasn't shy about it, it made him (and Bodog) a mobile target.
Deposit and withdraw
When it comes to financing your betting account, you have different options at your disposal. Also, Bodog does not charge fees when you add funds to your betting account.
Deposit methods
- American express
- Wire transfer
- Bitcoin
- MasterCard
- Visa
Accepted currencies
- SCOUNDREL
- Euro
- Pounds
- American dollar
Withdraw options
- Wire transfer
- Bitcoin
- Check
Whichever game you are passionate about, Bodog takes you to the front and center with his bookmaker. From the NFL to the NCAA college basketball craze and everything in between, no, they really do have horse racing and eSports, Bodog is the one-stop source for sports enthusiasts. In addition to getting the highest scores from bettors, Bodog has garnered rave reviews from sports betting review oriented sites.
In-depth reviews of Bodog
The Bodog sportsbook not only offers lines, futures and accessories, but also provides a wealth of information for bettors, including free statistical analysis within its matchup and preview sections. You will also find live bets that allow you to bet on every play of soccer, baseball and basketball.
Sports betting options
The sports on offer at Bodog are MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, badminton, boxing, cricket, UFC / MMA, horse racing, handball, NCAA college sports, electronic sports, golf, darts, rugby, tennis, auto racing (Formula 1, IndyCar) and soccer (EPL, UEFA, MLS, La Liga, Italy Serie A, Ligue 1, FIFA, etc.).
You can also place bets on shows like awards (Who will win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series?) And Game of Thrones (Who Will Rule Westeros? Probably Who's Not Dead by the End of the Series) season.).
The beginning of the problems
In 2006, Bodog was rising to new heights outside of the gaming industry, and in early 2006, they cemented their place in the world of sports betting with the purchase of Bill Scott's legendary WWTS.
This purchase was made with offices in Antigua, which would be of great importance to the company and Ayre in the future.
Meanwhile, Ayre himself had become one of the most influential people in the gaming world. This influence also came with considerable wealth, which was confirmed by Ayre appearing on the cover of Forbes' billionaire number.
Calvin Ayres at Forbes
The article written about Ayre in the magazine was titled "Catch me if you can", this would be a sign of what is to come. In October 2006, when the Internet Gambling Illegal Enforcement Act became law in the United States, many of the major operators ran into many problems.
Domain seized - the first time
One day in 2007, the Bodog site started having problems and suddenly the site disappeared.
Ayre himself faced this problem, posting on the site that his domain had been confiscated since his property was being questioned by a company called 1st Technologies.
This company claimed that they had a patent on the technology behind the management of an online gambling site (this 'troll' He had also tried to secure many of the other great gaming sites, including PokerStars and BetCRIS.)
However, the big problem for Bodog was that, unlike the other companies that were abroad, Ayre still had assets in his name in the United States that were accessible in the case of this lawsuit.
A judge stated that Bodog was, in fact, violating these patents and awarded 1st Technologies an award of nearly $ 50 million. It was at this time that Bodog announced that they no longer owned the company, having licensed the name and sold the operation to Mohawk Morris Gaming Group, based in the Kahnawake Reserve in Quebec, Canada.
The damage was done. The Bodog brand was successful on search engines, and the Justice Department confiscated tens of millions of dollars. Incredibly, Mohawk Morris finally regained Bodog.com's dominance in early 2009 by paying the full amount to 1st Technologies, but by then, Bodog was under significant scrutiny from the U.S. government.
This deal also clouded the actual deal between Mohawk Morris and Ayre, who actually paid for that deal and who later owned the Bodog name.
Growing regionally
Meanwhile, the Bodog brand was marketed regionally as a way to grow the overall business. The results were impressive. Bodog is a great brand in Canada (as you can see from the Google trend chart below) and the Bodog88 site was quickly becoming one of the largest on the Asian market as well.
Global map: 2004 - present
Global map
** Courtesy of Google Trend.
Bodog continued its European growth with the sponsorship of various soccer clubs in the major leagues. This brand space was open to all gaming sites, which could be seen in the late 2000s as many companies scrambled for valuable advertising space on the shirt.
Domain Seizure - Round 2
In 2011, the United States Department of Justice finally made a move on the sites that American players were taking. Many of the major poker sites were closed, and after all this activity, Bodog.com was again captured.
Once again, a series of coincident events took place within Bodog. In 2011, the company announced that the license agreement for Bodog.com would terminate with Mohawk Morris.
At this point, the domain was no longer active.
This was seen as a way to protect Mohawk Morris' other assets, which included most of Bodog's international brands.
In any event, the Department of Justice still seized Bodog's dominance in early 2012 along with the release of documents accusing Bodog and Ayre of their illegal gambling activities.
The domain was owned by an Antigua company (remember when we said that would be a factor later?); The country has turned to the World Trade Organization many times to fight the US for interfering with Antigua companies operating in its own jurisdiction. sovereign.
They have won trials against the United States in the past, and they also fought for Bodog in this case. The Bodog.com domain was finally launched in 2017 as a result of a case settlement against Ayre, which left the now-retired game legend without charge.
Continuing to grow the brand
One thing has been consistent throughout the Bodog brand's years of operation: the company has always been looking for ways to make its name known outside of traditional gaming circles. Since 2010, the company has signed a sponsorship with the Ayr United Football Club (see what they did there?) And has licensed Illy Coffee to be renamed Bodog Coffee in the Philippines.
They continued to make waves in the world of sports, signing an Asian sports betting agreement with Arsenal Football Club and maintaining a presence in the Canadian sports scene.
Ayre and Bodog's future
While Ayre argues that he is no longer involved with the Bodog brand, it is hard to imagine that he has completely given up on the company he founded.
However, none of that is likely to come to light at this stage. Bodog is still a force to be reckoned with in the gaming world; They recently sold their poker network to an Asian company, but they remain licensees to that new proprietary group.
As Bodog continues to grow in Canada and Europe, Ayre himself has moved into the world of cryptocurrencies. As payment processing became more expensive and harder for the online gambling world to find, Ayre immersed himself in the world of Bitcoin from the start and is now one of the leading experts on the subject.
In fact, shortly after charges against him were dropped in the United States, the Antigua government appointed Ayre a Special Economic Envoy for the country, with the goal of bringing cryptocurrency jobs to the island nation.
Live betting at Bodog
At Bodog, you can bet on sporting events in real time through its live betting interface. The odds are dynamic and constantly changing depending on the game plan and the bets made by the masses. You can bet on every play, every turn at bat and every possession. For example, in MLB you can bet that the next hitter will take a hit, strikeout, or take a walk.
In the NFL, you can bet whether the next play will be a complete or incomplete pass, a run, or a rotation. If it's the 1978 San Francisco 49ers, it's safe to bet on a rotation. However, you would have to go back in time to make that bet. If you have a time machine, will you lend it to us? Someone from the Odds Shark team would like to go back in time and return his Aaron Brooks jersey.
Sports betting options
Bodog offers a wide range of esports betting options including League of Legends, Dota 2, CS: GO, Call of Duty, Overwatch, FIFA, Madden, Starcraft 2, Rainbow 6 and more.
Of course, Bodog offers the typical bets to the winners of all major matches, but also many accessories. You can bet everything from series spreads, round totals, specific round winners, which team will have the most kills with many other options for bettors.
Bettors can also find the future odds of all the major tournaments and leagues in esports. Do you think Excelsior of New York will win the Overwatch League? Do you have the feeling that Liquid will win the Intel Grand Slam? You can bet on these at Bodog.
Commitment to customer service
Bodog Sports Canada is a respected and customer-friendly operation that offers quality customer service. With a live chat option, you can contact Bodog's 24-7 customer service department. Your staff must adhere to a strict policy requiring that email inquiries be answered in 15 minutes or less, and that phone calls be answered on the first ring.
Bonuses, Promotions and Rewards
This bookmaker offers a Bodog bonus code on first deposits. In terms of a welcome offer, you get a Bodog bonus code that can be easily redeemed, making it very easy to get 100 percent on your first deposit up to $ 200. There is also a Bitcoin Sports welcome bonus 100 percent up to $ 300 on your first Bitcoin deposit. Plus, you can collect up to $ 100 for each friend you refer to Bodog Sports Canada. They also offer a multi-level loyalty program that allows you to accumulate points for CASHBACK bonuses.
Deposit options
Bitcoin, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard) and Interac e-transfer are the deposit options at Bodog. You will notice that when you try to make bets for thousands of dollars, you will not be able to do it. Bodog has betting limits, which is fine if you're not Charles Barkley and just looking to make smart bets for fun. If you are a novice bettor then you will benefit from the limits set by this bookmaker. Even if you are an experienced bettor, you will still be able to make a small profit on your winnings. For NFL and NCAA football, bets are limited to $ 2,000. The NBA is set at $ 1,000 with NCAA basketball at $ 500. Money line (direct) bets for NHL and MLB cannot exceed $ 1,000.
Country and language restrictions
Unfortunately, Bodog is only available to Canadians and players from Latin America. The languages offered by Bodog Sports Canada are English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Is Bodog the right bookmaker for me?
As a trusted bookmaker in the industry, Bodog is as good as it sounds. From its impeccable customer service to its mobile compatibility (Android, Apple), you will not find a better bookmaker for Canadians and players in Latin America. Boasting lines in all major sports like the NFL, NFL, and NBA, fixtures and futures, parlays, teasers, and even live betting, Bodog is a top-notch, trustworthy bookmaker that deserves five out of five stars.
conclusion
Bodog burst onto the scene in the early 2000s under a cloud of controversy, but they withstood that storm and, with the efforts of their determined founder Calvin Ayre, grew to incredible heights.
They've had a fair amount of setbacks along the way, but the Bodog brand remains one of the most recognized worldwide.
