Calvin Ayre indicted, Bodog.com domain seized, yet business is as usual

Bodog is definitely one of the primary names in online gaming since they have been operating from the middle of the 90's. Unfortunately, they’re such a huge name that the united states Division of Homeland Safety has been building a case against Bodog. This recently resulted in the seizure of the domain name Bodog.com, that was reported by CalvinAyre.com.

The good news is that Bodog.com isn’t definitely that significant to the company’s operation since American players employ Bovada Poker now; those outside of the U . S . employ the website name Bodog.eu. Hence it doesn’t definitely make much sense that the Department of Homeland Security would waste their time confiscating this site name.

For Bodog founder Calvin Ayre’s thoughts on the matter, he was quoted as saying, “Not certain what to say. BodogBrand.com is a brand-licensing organization based outside the united states. The company left the market last year and the domain name in question has been inactive worldwide more than that.” He added, “We are just now doing brand licensing deals outside the united states so this domain had no spot in any of our present plans.”

Bodog founder Calvin Ayre has been indicted by federal prosecutors in Baltimore and the Bodog.com domain name has been grabbed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

In the indictment unsealed these days, Ayre, James Phillip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney are charged with conducting a gambling business as well as money laundering. Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. Attorney in Baltimore, claims that the offenders "did knowingly and illegitimately conduct finance, manage, supervise, direct, and have all or part of an illegal gambling business, to wit, a gambling business including on line sports wagering."

"Sports wagering is unlawful in Maryland, and federal law prohibits bookmakers from flouting that law because they are situated outside the nation," claimed Rosenstein. "Numerous of the damages that underline gambling prohibitions are exacerbated when the businesses operate over the net without regulation."

The indictment alleges that Bodog communicated with 2 processors to facilitate payments with gamblers. The processors named in the indictment were JBL Companies, which allegedly prepared a minimum of $43 million, and ZipPayments, that allegedly processed at least $57 million. Cash from either those processors was once grabbed by the IRS back in 2008.

Ayre responded to the indictments with a statement on his internet site, CalvinAyre.com.

“I see this as misuse of the U.S. criminal justice system for the industrial gain of big U.S. companies," he stated. "It is apparent that blackjack market is legal under worldwide law and in the case of all these documents is it also clear that the rule of law was not allowed to decrease a rush to attempt to attempt to win the war of public opinion."

Guests that log onto Bodog.com are greeted with a Department of Justice seizure notice similar to the one that was plastered on the house pages of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and UB.com back on April 15, 2011. Nevertheless, the main difference in this notice is that it was given by the Department of Homeland Security and not the Federal bureau of investigation.

The seizure should not affect the short-term business of Bodog. The Bodog.com website name hasn't been in employ since late last year. That domain name had already been switched to Bodog.eu and American gamers have been able to access Bovada.lv since December. Each of those sites are working as usual.