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Written by Thomas Jensen
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Wednesday, 23 September 2009
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Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this year's Budapest Affiliate Conference due to it being scheduled during NFL Week 1, however my good friend Bodog Becky gave me the full run down and has created a great top 10 list of her favorite memories from the affiliate conference which featured Bodog Founder Calvin Ayre giving the keynote address to a packed audience of affiliates and industry diehards.  Here is a copy of Becky's 2009 Budapest Affiliate Conference Moments: I may have a new boss and a new job with Calvin Ayre and BodogBrand.com, but when it comes to industry entertainment, not much has changed...with the upcoming launch of CalvinAyre.com, and with Calvin's return to the public, it will only continue to get better. I promise. Now enjoy my top 10 from the 2009 Budapest Affiliate Conference, it was a tough contest!
#10: Michael Caselli, the industry's sexiest - As much as I have beaten this subject into the ground, I just cannot resist mentioning the sexiest iGaming man alive in my BAC top 10. It is unavoidable. He is everywhere. Every conference, every party, every presentation, every keynote speech, every dinner, every late night, every VIP table, every hour of every conference day, he is there. Caselli comes along with his own set of rules as well...wearing a sign around his neck that flashes, "party like a rock star, f*&#$k like a porn star" is totally acceptable and funny. Give that sign to someone like Michael Corfman to wear around his neck and he would be thrown into jail. Actually, I take it back, that is hilarious! Michael, can you lend your sign to Michael for the London Affiliate Conference? Thanks.
#9: Happy Birthday to me from Bodog's Hungarian Marilyn Monroe - So you probably think I'm just trying to get a plug in for the Bodog Affiliate Social...well, you are wrong. I know this mention seems totally biased because yes, I work for Calvin, yes, I am involved with BodogBrand.com, yes, I am in constant touch with all the Bodog licensees and the Bodog Affiliates team, but! Is there anyone who has been to more iGaming parties than me? No. Are there any other iGaming parties which match the detail and quality of a Bodog party? No. Has anyone ever hired a Hungarian Marilyn Monroe to sing you happy birthday in the company of a dozen hot Bodog Girls? No. See? I'm not biased at all.
#8: Hungarian booze - Thanks to the several foul tasting shots of Unicum I was forced to consume at the Bodog Affiliates Social (we have this on film for CalvinAyre.com, of course), I don't even remember interviewing Bob Rains later that night. Thanks to an entire bottle of Hungarian liquor, I think a certain BAC keynote speaker may have imagined a raging party in his suite...with Michael Caselli and Winston Churchill? Talk about an alcohol induced hallucination. I blame it on the bottle of sneaky Hungarian booze the BAC organizers gave Calvin as a gift- he clearly felt obligated to drink it- everyone knows Calvin doesn't like to get drunk at conferences.
#7: Scotty Nguyen, Poker Celeb number 1 - Throughout my iGaming career I have personally met a number of poker celebrities and heard dozens of first hand stories about them. As a seasoned poker celeb gal, Expekt's Scotty Nguyen is simply in a class by himself, I am telling you. I have never been referred to as "baby" this many times in my life, and we chatted in front of the CalvinAyre.com video camera for a total of 10 minutes, max. Well, maybe 11 minutes if you include the opening party experience when Scotty fed me Expekt 10th anniversary cake with his bare hands. Ya, we've got that captured on film too.
#6:Doyle Brunson, Poker Celeb number 2 - I love this industry icon, he is the nicest guy on earth and a complete legend- a poker legend, and little did we know, a nightlife legend too. The Godfather of Poker made an appearance at every conference party, including a lengthy and late presence at the Doyle Brunson Poker Klub and an even later cameo at Budapest's hopping Bed Beach...I thank you Willy G for rubbing off on this great man!
#5: Illari "Ziigmund" Sahamies, Poker Celeb number 3 - I don't even want to get into what this one was up to at the BAC. Ziigmund is one feisty little Finn who seems shy at first, but give him several cocktails and then see what happens. At times, especially later in the night, you could even say his behavior is synonymous to how he plays poker...unpredictable, intelligent, fearless, and...dominating? Now that sounds interesting. Take a look at his post WSOP blog entry for window into his very special poker playing world. 18+ only, please!!!
 #4: Models, models and more models - There are several models which stood out above the rest at the BAC. Lets begin with the topless ones. At first the toplessness was hard to notice as these Entertasia models were elaborately painted, but once you looked a little closer- and maybe even went in for a picture- boy, were you in for a surprise. Lets finish with several models which are now very near and dear to my heart...they are beautiful, they are intelligent, they love CalvinAyre.com...they are the Ayre Heads! I have never felt so falsely popular in my whole entire life. So what if it was an illusion? So what if I thought that people were looking at me instead of the hot models walking next to me with big boobs and the Calvin Ayre mug on the back of their schoolgirl-ish shirts? Perception is reality my friends, never forget that.
#3: Bed Beach Night Club - This crazy Hungarian night club served as BAC's unofficial official late night spot for Friday and Saturday night of the conference. Who sponsored the endless champagne, bottles of vodka, VIP tables and the plethora of Hungarian girls at Bed Beach? Everyone and anyone who could handle post official BAC sponsored party extracurricular activities. Some notables include the trusty Fins, Martin and Marcus the "blinged out" Swedish affiliates, jolly Chris from Cake Poker Affiliates, the Chipleader girls and guy who kindly escorted me back to my hotel room, Aaron G who very gracefully danced up a storm on the VIP couches, Clive and Caselli who both served as great late night dance partners, and the unforgettable Calvin Ayre cameo, post bottle of Hungarian booze consumption.
#2: A Swede of my very own...FINALLY! - Såja, I love the Swedes. Now BodogBrand.com loves the Swedes too because the recently announced Bodog Network licensee, Patrik Selin, is Swedish and now I get to work with a Swede on a daily basis. The smartly dressed Patrik may seem all business at first, but don't let this one fool you- he is a big supporter of the "Work Hard, Play Harder" slogan that Bodog world forever embraces. Just ask Two Plus Two management! Throughout our time in Budapest, Patrik was spotted one night at the Doyle Brunson Poker Klub until late, the next night at Bed Beach until late, sipping on single malt scotches all the way...and a shot or two of Unicom, compliments of a certain two plus two someone.
 And last but not least...
#1: Pierre the well-endowed wonder - Everyone knows that Calvin Ayre has a "thing" for midgets, but did you know about Pierre, his personal bartender? I sure as hell didn't...until Pierre made his debut during Calvin's keynote speech at the BAC. Right after the industry breaking, flamboyant, and salsa dancing entrance of the Phantom of the Opera disguised Calvin, Pierre magically appeared at the podium, fully equipped with the Bodog founder's signature cocktail: a Bombay Gin martini with three queen size olives. Speaking of equipped, Calvin said a few words about Pierre, some nickname, and a "tripod" during his keynote speech, but I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean? Maybe one of Calvin's women can tell me.
Stay tuned for the launch of the CalvinAyre.com Tablog coming in the 4th quarter of 2009. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 September 2009 )
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Written by Thomas Jensen
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Thursday, 10 September 2009
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When Bodog Founder Calvin Ayre announced his retirement from the sports betting and online gambling industry, most of his friends and colleagues felt he would be back at some point. After being the driving force of Bodog's meteoric rise over the last several years, its understandable that Ayre would want to take a break. But in typical Calvin style, he could not just stop strategizing about the future of the Bodog Nation. Get the latest sports betting odds at Bodog.com and receive a 10% Sign Up Bonus today.
 While relaxing in retirement, which included sampling all sorts of exotic drinks, models and early morning wake board sessions, Ayre continued to fine tune BodogBrand.com. In all actuality, the company was and has been a licensing model for several years but until recently most of the deals were behind the scenes. Not anymore, the group is actively soliciting entrepreneurs to come up with business plans that could compliment the Bodog image.
Currently, Ayre is spending a majority of his time focusing on BodogBrand.com, a hybrid IP Licensing/Venture Capital/Marketing Consultancy focused on identifying synergistic business models outside of the gaming channel. BodogBrand.com holds the global rights to license the Bodog brand across all sectors and its mandate is to partner with carefully-selected licensees to license the brand to accelerate partner growth, while extending the BodogBrand.com into new and vibrant markets.
Ayre has been back in action for only a few months "officially" and already he has made significant waves within the sports betting and online gambling industry with several key announcements. The company announced licensing agreements in Europe and Canada, is actively looking for a licensee in the Latin American market, hired industry veteran Rebecca Liggero as a Global Bodog Brand Ambassador, the Bodog Europe licensee already signed a 3 year sponsorship agreement with Fulham FC of the Premier League and Ayre is about to launch a Bodog Poker Network which will compete with the likes of Cake & Merge Poker Networks.
Calvin Ayre will be the featured speaker at this weekend’s Budapest Affiliate Conference 2009. “I’m very flattered to have been asked to be this year’s keynote speaker in Budapest,” stated Ayre about being named the keynote speaker. “The iGaming space is the birthplace of the Bodog brand and it remains one of the must dynamic and fascinating sectors in the entertainment space. Thanks to BodogBrand.com’s world-class licensees, each of which brings regional knowledge and expertise to their respective markets, the brand has become truly global. The sun never sets on Bodog now. I look forward to continuing to work with BodogBrand.com to help identify potential brand licensees to take the Bodog experience into new markets.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 September 2009 )
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Written by Thomas Jensen
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Friday, 04 September 2009
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 Sports Betting enthusiasts in Canada will finally get a chance to take advantage of the great betting lines at Bodog now that the international operation is officially anouncing its foray into the country. Canadians can bet on sports at Bodog.ca here. It has been a monumental year for the Bodog brand and its licensees, and Bodog Europe is excited to officially announce yet another key milestone in the brand’s history: the launch of the Bodog experience to the Canadian market. Perhaps fittingly, Bodog Europe’s launch of Bodog.ca coincides with the 15-year anniversary of the Bodog brand, for the first time giving Canadian players the ability to cash in on some hot new promotions just in time for the remainder of the CFL season and the beginning of the NFL and NHL seasons.
Bodog Europe is lead by industry veteran and Managing Director Keith McDonnell, and is regulated and licensed by the Antigua & Barbuda Financial Services Regulatory Commission, Directorate of Offshore Gaming. McDonnell noted, “We’re extremely excited to be able to bring the unique Bodog experience to Canadian players. Canadians are passionate sports fans and are extremely savvy consumers. The Bodog brand is known world-over for its unmatched customer service and here at Bodog Europe we put the player’s experience and entertainment ahead of all else - I’m confident that we’re going to quickly earn Canadians’ loyalty and trust.”
Bodog.ca offers Canadian players safe, secure and simple access to world-class sports betting, a thriving and dynamic poker community, and a full Vegas-style casino with more than 80 web-based and downloadable games. Bodog Europe offers its players a simple, feature-rich sports betting product, offering a vast selection of sports betting opportunities across all major leagues and featuring live betting and an 80+ track Racebook. The Bodog.ca Sportsbook also has a particular focus on Canada’s most popular sports: NHL Hockey and CFL Football.
Bodog Europe – the upstart Bodog brand licensee already taking the UK by storm with its European-facing site Bodog.co.uk – had originally secured the rights to the world-famous “Bodog” brand for use in Europe only. However, when Bodog Europe Managing Director Keith McDonnell learned of BodogBrand.com’s willingness to entertain proposals to license the brand for use within Canada, he was quick to act, and secured the exclusive Canadian license.
“The Bodog brand is celebrating its fifteenth year anniversary this year – an absolutely remarkable pedigree and testament to its enduring values in an industry that quickly kills off mediocrity. The brand has gone through quite an evolution during that long history, and Bodog Europe is looking forward to carrying the torch forward for at least another fifteen years of world-class customer service, unbeatable promotions, and, above all – fun.”
To learn more about Bodog Europe’s Canadian site, visit Bodog.ca. |
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Written by Thomas Jensen
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Friday, 28 August 2009
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 Nordic Gaming Group Ltd., one of Europe's fastest growing online gaming companies, today announced the launch of an aggressive, new affiliate program aimed at seizing a large portion of the regional market. The launch is coupled with the introduction of sharp, high-quality affiliate websites for each of NGG's three brands: NordicBet, TrioBet and Tobet. The sites, nordicbetpartners.com, triobetpartners.com, and tobetpartners.com, present a clear overview of the program as well as a detailed introduction to the group's gaming products.
“This is a really hot program and the affiliates we've been in touch with far have been signing up like you wouldn't believe,” said Shaun O'Neill, NGG's Affiliate Manager. “To be honest, it's an easy sell since the affiliates have already been turned on by our top-notch products and services. They especially like the fact that we've got such a wide sportsbook offer and can work well in both the global and local markets.”
O'Neill is himself considered one of the program's largest assets. After four years of active work in the affiliate sector, he has developed extensive contacts and become a recognized heavyweight in the industry.
“We're lucky to have Shaun on board,” said NGG's CEO, Per Hellberg. “He knows this aspect of the industry inside and out, and understands exactly what the affiliates want. This program will be a nice complement to our already successful business and we are expecting to get a lot out of it."
NGG will showcase its new internet gambling affiliate program at the Budapest Affiliate Conference 2009 , held September 10 – 13 and they will be located at F20/22. Earlier this month NGG announced that it had chosen the award-winning Income Access affiliate marketing software to power the affiliate programs.
Nordic Gaming Group Ltd. has been expanding rapidly in Europe since its founding in 2002. All three of its brands, NordicBet, TrioBet and Tobet, offer a competitive gaming and betting service that attracts customers from all over the world, but their main focus is on European sports, including a wide range of local sports in their target countries. The NordicBet brand focuses on Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. TrioBet is NGG's Baltic brand, covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Tobet, meanwhile, is geared toward the lucrative Polish, Hungarian and Romanian markets. |
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Sports Betting News 
Bongiovanni ordered that Governor Corzine’s motion to intervene in iMEGA, et al v. Holder was granted, and that his attorneys must file their complaint no later than November 12th, 2009. The lawsuit initiated by