Bodog in Hot Water

The notorious Bodog online slots and poker casino has been evading US law for years now. While its famed bad boy leader Calvin Ayre has been living the good life with several servants and millions of dollars in property investments in Costa Rica and Antigua, the US has been mulling over strategies on how to finally get him. Because of the tax laws in those countries, Calvin Ayre has been making a profit that has not seen any business or personal tax, not one cent has been turned over to any ruling body. While the online slots players here in the States have been winning money, and paying taxes on it (ideally), he has been laughing all the way to the bank.

Actually, it would be more appropriate to say, he’s been laughing all the way to several banks. In fact, Calvin Ayre has been keeping his millions in several bank accounts in the United States. Even after the US passed the notorious Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), Bodog has still been turning a profit from gamblers in the States. All the while he has been keeping up his activity blatantly, and almost laughing at the American attempts to prosecute him and his illegal online casino activity.

The latest development is that the US has finally gotten enough ammunition and has seized millions and millions of dollars in assets from all those Bodog accounts from many very prominent banks. These will likely not suffer the wrath of the government since the UIGEA hasn’t exactly outlined how to enforce and regulate the law. Online slots players, casinos and government representatives alike have all been calling for a better law to let everybody know clearly what the rules actually are.  However, the payment processing companies will now be under severe scrutiny.

Back to August 2008 Archive.