What do you get when you cross one of the online gambling industry’s biggest egos with a shady beginning and a name that doesn’t mean anything?

You get the makings of a story that is fit for a Netflix series.

For now, you get the history of the Bodog group of companies.

We are going to try to dissect how this site came from nothing to be one of the most recognized names in the world, with loads of controversy along the way.

Bodog Canada is the nation’s best online Sportsbook, Poker Room & Casino. Bodog: One of the most popular sports bookmarkers in Canada In Canada, most people know about Bodog – one of the top-rated brands known for online sports betting as well as casino games. It has made several players across Canada and beyond become quite successful with its unlimited options in casinos and sports. Dec 15, 2020 Post by @CourtneyDuncan3. The man that once did sell the lion’s skin. While the beast lived, was killed hunting him is a famous line from Life of King Henry V acts 4 scene 3, written by William Shakespeare 1564-1616.

The Early Days

The early days of Bodog can be a bit confusing, so we’ll try to take it slow for you. In 1997, a company called Cyberroad went public to raise money for an online gambling company. This company would use its software to power many sportsbooks, including TheBigBook.com, mayansports.com and grandprixsports.com.

The company’s unique take on sports betting was that all their licensees used a company called ebanx in order to process payments; this was a huge step up from the cash accounting that was taking place in the United States.

Around 2000, Cyberroad was in financial trouble and was ultimately sold to a company called El Moro Finance out of the British Virgin Islands. At that point, a subsidiary of that company was created called ESportz. They were based in Costa Rica (an up and coming hotbed of online sportsbook activity) and were set up to try to bring on new licensees.

When the sale was complete, The Big Book took over Grand Prix and continued to use the Esportz software. Mayan Sports, however, decided this was the time to move on, and they switched providers.

Strangely, the Mayan Sports database received an email introducing them to a new site, Bodog, and offered them a chance to have an account there. In fact, rumor had it that the Bodog introduction included information that the players already had accounts opened and waiting for them.

The Mayan ownership was rightfully pissed, but as they themselves did not have the most reputable history in the business, it was going to be hard to win this battle against a company they had never heard of before.

Ok, are you with us so far?

So, you can imagine that players were initially confused by the invitation to Bodog, but the blog posts and information coming from their representative, Cole Turner, was appealing.

The company was setting a new bar for the sports betting public. It was clear that this company was trying to make a lifestyle out of online gambling. However, after a while it seemed that ego took over, and it was revealed that Cole Turner was actually Bodog founder Calvin Ayre.

While this alone may not have caused many waves, people started to put two and two together, and it was looking increasingly bad for Ayre. Ayre had been involved at Cyberroad as a client and denied having anything to do with ebanx.

However, given that he had been involved with Cyberroad, then took it over and started Esportz and Bodog once it failed, you can imagine how upset the original investors were. Add in the Mayan Sports claims of having their database stolen by Bodog, and it all seemed to be a bit fishy.

We have a full bio of Calvin Ayre which you can read here:

However, for the purposes of the history of Bodog, it is essential that you know a little bit about the man. Born the son of pig farmers in western Canada, Ayre had already seen his fair share of trouble with the law before getting into the online gambling business.

He had been seen as a conspirator in a huge marijuana smuggling operation his father was found guilty of running in 1987 (Ayre himself was never charged). Then, in 1991, he again found himself in trouble with the law; this time it was the securities commission in Canada which charged him with insider trading in regards to stocks on the Vancouver stock exchange.

He agreed to a settlement in the case, but was still banned from trading. All this led to his getting into the online gambling business. More on Ayre to come.

When Bodog launched, they shared an office with The Big Book. This only made sense as the two companies were using the same software platform, and that allowed the companies to make use of the economies of scale.

However, this ended up being more controversial than anyone could have imagined, as one of the employees was found to be embezzling significant amounts of funds in an attempt to start a competing company and steal their clients.

Luckily for Bodog, this attempt was sniffed out and, with the help of an anonymous forum post outlining all of the details (supposedly written by Ayre himself), the employee was arrested and charged.

The Bodog/Big Book Partnership dissolved in 2003, leaving Bodog as the only operator using the ESportz platform.

With all of this controversy seemingly behind them, it was time to focus on growing the company and the Bodog brand. The company had seen a lot of press from within the industry as a result of all of these salacious stories, and they looked to capitalize on this by really focusing on the brand as opposed to the product.

The name Bodog is intriguing in itself. Over the years, Ayre has explained in detail how he came up with the name—scientifically determining the factors necessary to create a household brand name. This included a study on the number of syllables, the type of sounds and what kind of word would be the most resonant.

The next step for the company was to expand their product line. In 2004, they made a splash by launching a poker site. They did this at their Sports betting conference, which they organized for Las Vegas.

This was where most of the gambling industry first saw the Bodog party machine in full effect; renting out a nightclub in Las Vegas and filling it with sports celebrities and scantily-clad women would be a signature move of Bodog’s in the coming years.

The poker site was quick to sign some well-known names to be their poker ambassadors, and they were soon found on many televised poker programs broadcasted around the world.

The next two years were arguably the best for Bodog when it came to growth and exposure, but ultimately may have caused a lot more pain for them in the long term. In 2005, the company once again ran its Poker and Sports Marketing Conference, this time attracting well over 1,000 attendees.

The Bodog compound was being built in Costa Rica, and it was there that many of the lavish parties that made Bodog famous were held. In fact, the party scenes in the movie Runner Runner were modeled after the famous Bodog parties.

Not satisfied with plastering the Bodog name all over the gambling world, Ayre turned his attention to building the Bodog brand (along with his own personal exposure). Bodog used their huge gaming success to foray into several businesses, including a music label (Bodog Music), an MMA fighting company (Bodog Fight) and their own take on football (Bodog Lingerie Bowl).

All of these new ventures included a couple of consistent characteristics: the Bodog brand, which was all over each of the companies, and the face of their legendary Founder, Calvin Ayre.

Ayre’s ego was now at an all-time high; there wasn’t a picture of him without at least a couple of Bodog beauties draped all over him, and the man wanted to be at the center of all the publicity around his companies. This resulted in a reality-style show being developed, which was poker based in essence, but showed off Ayre buying luxurious items in cash around the world.

The online gambling industry had a playboy, and while he wasn’t shy about it, it did make him (and Bodog) a moving target.

Bodog is a sportsbook completely dedicated to it’s Canadian bettors. So much so in fact that if you aren’t from Canada then you can’t open a Bodog account! Bodog is a great betting site, with a brand name that will be recognized by most Canadians due to it’s main stream marketing strategy. Bodog has advertised on TSN, The Score, Sportsnet and CTV, so if you’re a Canadian sports fan there is a very good chance that you have heard of Bodog. Due in part to this aggressive marketing strategy Bodog has made a name for itself as a major player in the Canadian sports betting industry.

Sign Up Bonus

Bodog offers a 100% matching bonus on your first deposit up to $200. The bonus funds are immediately added to your account and available for use (you should give it about 30 minutes for the bonus funds to show up in your account).

You must roll-over the deposit + bonus amount 5 times before requesting a withdrawal.

Using Bodog referral code “3178530” when signing up will ensure that you receive the best bonuses available at Bodog at any given time.

My tip would be to use your bonus funds as quickly as possible in order to build your bankroll. This will also give you more funds to work with when completing the roll-over requirements.

I also suggest that you just bet normally when clearing this bonus. Five times rollover might seem like a lot, but if you just bet normally you will be finished clearing your bonus before you know it.

Canadian Sports Coverage

As a Canadian you will find plenty to bet on at Bodog. They take bets on every NHL and AHL game throughout the season, as well as hockey bets on all International tournaments and some European hockey leagues. They also focus on basketball, baseball, football, soccer and the UFC. You will be able to bet on all UFC fights from main and under cards at Bodog, as well as other MMA promotions such as Bellator.

Bodog Canada Promo

Overall, the sports coverage at Bodog will be good enough for 99% of Canadian bettors. It’s the 1% who like the strange prop bets on regular games that might want to check out SIA or Bet365.

Live Betting

Bodog has a great live betting platform. They’ve come a long way with their live bet offerings and now take live bets on all major North American sporting events. Bodog’s live betting will be sufficient to the vast majority of bettors, but if live betting is the main thing you’re looking for in a sportsbook I suggest checking out Bet365.

Here is an example of the Bodog live betting software in action:

Mobile Betting

The Bodog mobile betting site is a treat to look at. It is one of the most well put together mobile betting platforms I have seen. When I place bets at Bodog I almost always do it through my mobile device because I find it’s just smoother and faster than betting through the website.

Here is an example of the mobile betting home page, followed by some of the odds from the NFL section of the site.

Deposit Options

I think Bodog has the best deposit and withdrawal options for Canadians. Bodog does accept Visa & MasterCard and has a very good acceptance rate, but they also accept Interac e-Transfers, which means anyone with a Canadian bank account can easily deposit and cash out funds from their Bodog accounts. The Interac e-Transfer method is as easy as emailing money to a friend, so it’s a great option for Canadians.

Bitcoin is also really taking off in Canada and it’s a great option for deposits/withdrawals at Bodog. The digital currency that many thought could be a fad is definitely here to stay. Bitcoin is known for being extremely secure and if you aren’t comfortable entering your credit card or bank information online then this is a great option.

Bodog Canada Betting

Bodog is the only betting site that accepts both Bitcoin and Interac e-Transfer, which I think are the two best banking options for Canadians.

Bodog Canada Login Page

Bodog understands how Canadians wants to deposit funds online. I’m personally a big fan of Bitcoin as it makes depositing and withdrawing funds online quick and easy. I’ve began using Bitcoin wherever I can over the past year.

Customer Support

Bodog Canada Reddit

Bodog is committed to providing a great sports betting experience to Canadians. If you have any problems you can contact Bodog via their Online Contact Form or phone support (1-877-263-6422).