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Point-Spreads.com has learned that Bodog and the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group will announce today the finalization of a domain licensing agreement and the resurrection of the world-renowned www.bodog.com.

Checkout Point-Spreads.com's exclusive interview with Bodog.com Founder Calvin Ayre, his first interview since announcing his retirement.

The MMGG acquired many valuable domains – including www.bodog.com - when it recently settled a patent case that had been ongoing in the United States.  When asked why the MMGG stepped in, Mr. Alwyn Morris, Chief Executive for the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group noted “While the MMGG was not the judgment debtor, the defendant supplier hadn’t been operational since 2007 and there was therefore simply no possibility of their satisfying the default judgment. We are the exclusive licensee of the ‘Bodog’ brand within the region and so our business was impacted by anything that cast a shadow across the brand.  We wanted to remove any residual uncertainty that this case had created, and we wanted to acquire the domains - it was a straightforward business decision.”  
 
“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to return the Bodog experience to its rightful home – the reaction of staff and key suppliers has been thunderous,” says Mr. Morris.  “We will be transitioning the MMGG site to this domain over the coming weeks.  Moreover, we have only just this morning inked a deal with Bodog Antigua, from whom we license the Bodog brand.  Under this contract, outside of our brand license territory, the www.bodog.com domain will be redirected to the other brand licensees’ sites, as appropriate.  One domain, worldwide.”
 
Keith McDonnell, Managing Director of Bodog Europe noted “As the ‘Bodog’ brand licensee for Europe, we are ecstatic to see the return of www.bodog.com.  Working with the MMGG and the other licensees, geo-targeting will be used to ensure visitors outside of the MMGG’s territory are directed to the correct site, including ours www.bodoglife.co.uk.  This way, the marketing efforts of every licensee to promote www.bodog.com benefit us all, ultimately reinforcing and strengthening the global brand.  It will absolutely be a win-win-win solution.”
 
Mr. Morris added “The MMGG and the other Bodog licensees are experiencing tremendous momentum right now, and we are confident that this will only add fuel to the remarkable growth and expansion of the businesses.  The brand is stronger than ever and a new day is dawning – everyone feels it.”

See what Bodog.com Founder Calvin Ayre has to say about the domain name settlement and more in his exclusive 1st interview since announcing his retirement.

It is turning out to be a active week and month for that matter in the internet gambling sector, with announcements that a Harvard Study debunked Focus on the Family's (Citizen Link) claim that gambling online is more addictive than land based casino gambling and now the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has notified lawyers for the Interactive Media & Gaming Association (iMEGA) and the US Department of Justice that the Courts is set to consider iMEGA’s challenge to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA).

In a letter to counsel for both parties, Marcia M. Waldron, clerk for the appeals court, wrote that iMEGA v. Attorney-General USA, et al (Case Number 08-1981) has been tentatively listed on the merits on Monday, July 6 2009, in Philadelphia, PA. Oral arguments had originally been scheduled for April, but the Court has since sent iMEGA’s motion to supplement the record with news about the blocking of state lottery payments to its Merit Panel for a decision. The DOJ opposes the motion.

The Court’s letter stated: “The panel will determine whether there will be oral argument, and if so, the amount of time alloted for each side. No later than one (1) week prior to the disposition date will you be advised whether oral argument will be required, the amount of time allocated by the panel, and the specific date on which the argument will be scheduled.”

A “judgement on the merits” refers to a judgment, decision or ruling based upon the facts presented in evidence and the law applied to that evidence. A judge decides a case “on the merits” when he/she bases the decision on the fundamental issues and considers technical and procedural defenses as either inconsequential or overcome. For example: An attorney is two days late in filing a set of legal points and authorities in opposition to a motion to dismiss. Rather than dismiss the case based on this technical procedural deficiency, the judge considers the case “on the merits” as if this mistake had not occurred.

This may be significant as iMEGA submitted a motion in March to have the Court record in the case supplemented with news of “over-blocking” of state lottery transactions in New Hampshire and North Dakota by credit card companies. Despite having a clear exemption from UIGEA, the credit card companies nonetheless changed the transaction codes for the lotteries from “government” to one designating online gambling, preventing the exempted transactions from being processed. The Justice Department opposed the addition of the new information on the law’s effect, stating the new information was not submitted to the district court and that the challenge to the law was not an “exceptional case”.

“We’re very happy the Court is moving forward on this, and we’re confident the Court will consider the real-world effect of the law, regardless of the DOJ’s opposition,” said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA’s chairman.

Notice from US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals - iMEGA v. Holder, et al

Gambling Affiliate Programs (GAP), is organizing their first General Meeting for registered affiliate programs in advance of the Casino Affiliate Convention 2009 (http://www.cac2009.com) in Amsterdam. Over eighty programs have already registered for this important meeting, to discuss the major industry issues and needs. The meeting will take place at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel on Sunday March 29th, 2009.

Visit Gambling Affiliate Programs at their website: http://gamblingaffiliateprograms.org

In light of recent industry events, operators decided to come together and form Gambling Affiliate Programs.

“CAP and PAP have great affiliate communities, which have been a pleasure to work with, so this was a difficult decision to make,” stated Affiliate Director Shaun O’Neil of Wager Profits back on March 5th, 2009 when the popular online poker and casino affiliates decided to yank their PAP/CAP certifications. “Unfortunately, we believe it is questionable to think that CAP and PAP will be able to operate effectively without a management team that has proven integrity, and until this rift is dealt with and all the facts are known. Perhaps what the industry needs is an independent non-profit organization providing certification and related services, along the lines that Microgaming spearheaded with Ecogra for Operations Certification, i.e. an organization funded by the operators with common pricing and clear rules and a code of conduct. We would certainly be interested in participating or being in the forefront of such an initiative.”

This alliance is a group of operators proactively joining forces to discuss ways in which they can create unification within the industry; to foster the development of relationships between operators and affiliates. The member programs have agreed upon an agenda for the general meeting, and intend to arrive at a consensus on the major industry issues, which include events and conferences, affiliate communities, certification and the role of GAP itself.

“The formation of GAP is a proactive step forward for the respected members of the online gaming affiliate industry,” said one of the Program Members. “The General Meeting will help attending programs to establish industry goals and standards, ensuring professionalism, accountability and transparency in this ever-growing sector. We at are looking forward to the meeting and the great potential it provides.”

Programs not yet registered are invited to do so at www.gamblingaffiliateprograms.org. GAP’s mission is to ensure that the online gaming industry will be managed and networked professionally and effectively in the future, and that operators, gaming affiliate programs and the affiliates themselves have a resource in place that best represents their needs and those of their business partners.

This first GAP General Meeting is being held in advance of the Casino Affiliate Convention 2009, in Amsterdam. CAC is taking place from March 30th until April 1st at the the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel.

Registered Partners for GAP first General Meeting:

888
400Affiliates
Aced
affcorner
Affiliate lounge / Betsson
AffiliateClub
Affiliates United
Betfair Affiliates
Betsafe Affiliates
BetUK
Betway Partners, GNUF
Bingo
Bodog Affiliates
BrightShare
Buzzluck Affiliate Program
Cake Poker Affiliates
Casino Coins
Casinoblasters
Commission Account
CWC Affiliates (ClubWorldCasinos)
DoylesRoom
Earn United
EarnReal
EGO
Eurobet Affiliates
Everest Affiliates
Expekt
Fortune Affiliates
Gamingpromo
Golden Associate
Golden Matrix
Heaven Affiliates
Hollywood Affiliates
Income Access
Intertops
Ladbrokes
LuckyAcePartners
Mainstreet Affiliates
Mansion
Market-ace
MontelPartners
Paddy Power
Partnerlogic
PartyPartners and AffClub
PDC Affiliates
Pitbull Partners
PlayShare Partners
PokerStars
Regal Affiliates
Revenuex
Rome Partners
Roxy Affiliates
Scratch2Cash
Slotland Affiliates
Star Partner
Tower Affiliates
TwoLinx Affiliates
Uffiliates (888)
Villento Affiliates
Virgin Games
Wager Profits