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

Bodog is certainly one of the biggest names in on-line gaming since they've been working from the mid 90's. Unluckily, they’re such a big name that the united states Division of Homeland Protection has been making a case against Bodog. This these days led to the seizure of the domain name Bodog.com, that was noted by CalvinAyre.com.

The good news is that Bodog.com isn’t definitely that essential to the company’s operation since American gamers utilize Bovada Poker now; those outside of the United States Of America make use of the domain name Bodog.eu. So it does not really make much sense that the Department of Homeland Security would waste their time confiscating this website name.

For Bodog founder Calvin Ayre’s ideas on the matter, he was quoted as saying, “Not sure what to say. BodogBrand.com is a brand-licensing firm based outside the united states. The company left the market industry last year and the domain name in question has been inactive globally for longer than that.” He added, “We are just now doing brand licensing deals outside the us therefore this domain name had no place in any of our current plans.”

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

In the indictment unsealed currently, Ayre, James Phillip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney are faced with conducting a gambling business in addition to money laundering. Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. Attorney in Baltimore, claims that the defendants "did intentionally and illegitimately perform finance, control, supervise, direct, and posses all or part of an outlawed gambling business, to wit, a gambling business including online sports betting."

"Sports wagering is outlawed in Maryland, and federal law prohibits bookmakers from flouting that law because they're situated outside the country," explained Rosenstein. "Numerous of the harms which underline gambling prohibitions are increased when the enterprises work over the net with out rules."

The indictment alleges which Bodog communicated with two processors to facilitate repayments with bettors . The processors known as in the indictment were JBL Companies, that allegedly prepared a minimum of $43 million, and ZipPayments, which allegedly processed at least $57 million. Cash from both 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 notice this as misuse of the U.S. criminal justice system for the industrial gain of big U.S. businesses," he mentioned. "It is obvious that free blackjack sector is legal under international law and in the case of all of these documents is it also clear that the rule of law was not permitted to decrease a rush to try to attempt to win the war of public opinion."

Guests that log onto Bodog.com are welcomed with a Department of Justice seizure see similar to the one which was plastered on the home pages of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and UB.com back on April 15, 2011. Nevertheless, the real difference in this notice is that it was issued by the Department of Homeland Security and not the FBI.

The seizure shouldn't affect the short-term business of Bodog. The Bodog.com domain name has not been in use since late last year. That domain name had recently been switched to Bodog.eu and American gamers have been able to access Bovada.lv since December. Both of those websites are up and running as always.