Malta Writer Uncovers Bodog Scandal: 2

The author of the article which uncovers a huge part of the Bodog legal troubles with the United States government, David Lindsay’s article is causing a stir. The official charges against the online casino were brought up last summer and shortly there after all of the $24 million were seized from the US financial institutions that received payment fro Ayres online casinos. The article notes some statements made by the owner of Bodog, Calvin Ayres. His company, Stratham Finance, in which Ayres is the only share holder and is also the acting director of became the topic of a public notice. The online gambling licensing agency Lotteries and Gaming Authorityreleased a statement that Bodog and Stratham did not posses business licenses.

The fact that the online casino lacked any license or a permit of any kind to be running itself as a business itself is enough to raise some eyebrows. Lindsay claims that the investigation with the United States and Bodog is still an ongoing investigation. The major operations of the online casino are not located in Malta, but instead their online casinos are run from the Carribean island of Antigua and Costa Rica. The website also operates itself under the infamous Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve in Canada who also has been in the news recently. They are the ones that operate the Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker websites who walked away with a slap on the wrist from the reserve after being caught in a four year $20 million dollar cheating scandal.

Bodog operates numerous online casinos, Lindsay says: "Moreover, Bodog’s gaming websites – bodoglife.com and newbodog.com – belong to two companies registered at the same Ta’ Xbiex address as Stratham Finance, along with eight other financing companies - Aragon Finance, Brompton Finance, Esser Finance, Kiel Finance, Lyon Finance, Milburn Finance, Savoy Finance and Sutherland Finance.” The online casino writer says that the story is yet to be completely unfolded. He added, "While it is not clear if the other companies at the address form part of the illegal payout puzzle, all the companies’ directors and shareholders are either Bodog’s flamboyant billionaire Calvin Ayres [sic] or his partner James Philip," the Malta Independent Online article claims. "Philip, according to Canadian press reports, is a Vancouver chartered accountant who serves as chief financial officer of El Moro Finance Ltd – a British Virgin Island company that figured prominently in Bodog’s early development." At the end of the article, Lindsay did note that Ayre is no longer owner of the company and he transferred all of the ownership of the online casino to the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group.