The Bodog brand was once thought to be one of the most invincible online gambling franchises on the planet.  Calvin Ayre (pictured to the left) built it up from a small sportsbetting site in the 90’s to one of the most flourishing enterprises the industry had ever seen.  He developed the brand from just a highly-popular sportsbook and evolved it into one of the hottest poker rooms and casinos the world had ever seen.  Times seemed to be so positive and great for Bodog, and no one could’ve EVER anticipated any type mishap for the company.

However, after losing the original Bodog.com domain name to a patent suit brought upon by American company 1st Technology LLC back in 2007 (and has since failed in to get it back), the company has faced some bleak waters since the former billionaire playboy Ayre decided to step down a few months ago to focus on his charity work.  At the time, the move seemed to provide a shift in power in the Bodog ranks, but one that would at least bring the company a more stable future and one that provided the brand a more global presence in the European market.  As the months have passed, it looks as if Calvin’s unexpected decision to step down might’ve been because he saw the company he had built from nothing was about to crumble.

In the past several weeks, rampant reports of 40 to 50+ day cashout timeframes, lower player traffic, and a lack of marketing campaigns that Bodog was once so famous for, have all of a sudden been all the buzz across poker forums and other gambling media outlets.  Bodog has laid off several hundred employees in it’s non-gambling divisions, and the word on the street is it’s not going to get any better from here.  After losing it’s last attempt to regain it’s prized Bodog.com name from 1st Technology LLC, the company’s future is much more clouded than it is prosperous.

There is nothing more for the Guru to really report at this particular moment, but I wanted to give a heads up to the people looking to try out Bodog to be a little bit weary right now.  I really do hope things turn around for them, but from what I’ve seen and observed, good ol’ Calvin has really f***ed over his own corporation after taking off to bask in the sunny skies of his cozy Costa Rican mansion - and I don’t know when this freefall of sorts is going to end.

Download America's #1 Sportsbook and Poker Room - Now accepting bets and wagers 24/7!