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Following a rather lengthy report by NBC News that uncovers leaked information pertaining to the now infamous Panama Papers, a representative from Bodog Brands commented exclusively to Gambling911.com early Wednesday.
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The piece referred to Bodog founder Calvin Ayre as a “flamboyant fraud” who is “still in the wind” or otherwise on the lam. It mentions that Ayre reportedly maintained bank accounts threw the firm tied to the so-called “Panama Papers”. New Zealand media was quick to pick up on the story, questioning its own financial inadequacies.
As Gambling911.com noted, Ayre is hardly in hiding though. He recently spoke before a gaming conference in Malta this past October and has traveled freely in and out of his native Canada.
Ed Pownall, Global PR Director of Bodog Brand tells Gambling911.com early morning Wednesday: "The article is bizarre; it seems that Calvin’s flamboyant lifestyle has been used to help give an accountancy story a more interesting angle. Sadly, there is nothing new in this and Calvin has no business connection to Panama. More importantly, there will not be any connections to Mossack Fonseca as the new documents are poured over.
"As for the hyperbole of being ‘on the run’: Calvin is living openly where he is a citizen (Canada and Antigua), making the Facebook posts nothing more than normal updates to share among friends. Furthermore, and under international law the World Trade Organization has signaled that what the US is trying to do to Calvin, is, in fact, illegal.”
Ayre was indicted in Baltimore, Maryland in 2012 as part of an extensive probe into illegal online gambling that was enough to prompt the vast majority of online gambling websites to stop accepting customer signups from that state.
Among the early online gambling operators charged with similar crimes back in 1998, one by the name of Haden Ware (on the run for nearly 20 years) this week was slapped with a sentence of six months probation.
If Ayre can hold out another 20 years, he’ll be 70-something and the “illegal” activity he was charged with engaging in will likely be legal in all but one US state (Utah).
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
