Bodog Chief: US Gearing Up for Online Gambling

Bodog founder Calvin Ayre is never one to stay out of the headlines, and he's been at it again recently, declaring in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian that the United States is gearing up to enter the online gambling industry.

Ayre discusses Black Friday

Ayre, who refuses to travel to the US, spoke in depth about his company's operations stateside, saying it was "impossible" for Bodog to get dragged into a court case, as happened to PokerStars and Full Tilt following Black Friday. This was despite the company's name appearing briefly in an affidavit in a related case about domain name seizures.

"Bodog wasn't involved in any of that," he said. "[Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO] Alwyn Morris has a business that takes bets from the US. And he does have a brand licensing deal with me. But he told me that he doesn't know any of those [payment] processors [mentioned in the documents]."

Bodog operates in US

Bodog's US website continues to run under the watchful eyes of the Canada-based MMGG, while it continues to expand in Europe after its British partner obtained a lucrative UK Gambling Commission license to operate there.

Ayre, who denied to The Guardian reports that his net worth come close to $1 billion, remains a Canadian citizen but spend most of his time at his home in Antigua, the Caribbean island known for its gambling industry.