You would have laughed if I told you I was going to win two Slams this year. People wouldn't believe me if I [had] said that.
—Roger Federer
| Vindicated at last |
All felony charges filed against Calvin Ayre and the Bodog Entertainment Group five years ago were dropped by US federal prosecutors.
That is great news!
On July 14, Chief Judge Catherine Blake of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland accepted a resolution that dismissed all of the felony charges against Calvin Ayre and Bodog.
Let’s go back to February 2012.
At that time, US Attorney for the District of Maryland indicted Bodog, Calvin Ayre and three other individuals on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment accused Bodog of offering gambling services to US customers between June 2006 and January 2012. The well-known domain Bodog.com was also seized.
To better understand the case, you have to remember these two things.
First, Bodog was operating under an Antiguan license at the time of the indictments. Second, the World Trade Organization (WTO) aid that the US violated its international trade obligations when it refused to grant Antigua-licensed online gambling operators access to the US market.
Aside from the dropping of charges, Bodog.com will be returned to its owners.
The Bodog.com domain name has been returned in exchange for a $100,000 payment. The domain was previously purchased by friends of Mr. Ayre and since the feds did not place any impediment on its use, this guarantees that Bodog.com will re-enter the gambling market in some form in the future.
The good news is just another bonus in Mr. Ayre’s already fulfilling life.
In a statement, he said: “I don’t see this settlement changing anything, as I’m happy with my life the way it is. I’ll continue to focus on being an online gaming industry analyst, a tech investor and a philanthropist. But most importantly, I’m just going to continue enjoying life to the fullest.”
Takeaway
The dropping of the federal charges against Mr. Ayre and other individuals marks a small step toward America making good on its international obligations. But what US should do is to pay Antigua the $200m it owed in WTO-authorized penalties related to the online gambling dispute.
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