Maryland Indicts Bodog for Internet Gambling and Now Wants Piece of the Pie, Oh My

For those of you who have been reading the Gambling911.com website in recent days, you may have been following coverage of Maryland’s decision to institute a special session for the sole purpose of expanding its casino industry.

Oh the hypocrisy!  It’s so thick you can cut it with a knife.  It’s thicker than the smog in my native India.

Here’s a state that has been among the most aggressive going after those horrible Internet gambling companies that have operated offshore since the better part of 1996 (yes, some of these companies have been in business for 16 years now).  The US Attorney’s Office has spent years investigating one of the bigger Web gambling firms, Bodog, with an indictment against three of that company’s executives including founder Calvin Ayre.  The Bodog.com domain name was also seized, although the company now operates as Bovada.lv.  Bodog, incidentally, is one such company that’s been around since 1996 with roots extending back to The Big Book and Mayan Sports.  There is something ironic about Maryland deciding to try to shut down what was formerly Mayan Sports the year the Mayan calendar says the Earth is going to end.  Go figure. 

Long before Bodog, there was Neteller, a payment processor that today is one of the most revered right up there with PayPal, forced to flee Maryland during a period of relative calm in the industry (2000 – 2004). 

Then came a two-year undercover investigation whereby the US Attorney’s office set up what turned out to be a rather lucrative phony payment solutions company that ultimately took in millions of dollars and led the shutdown of BetED.com, an Internet gambling company that had been in business since 1999. 

But after all that effort, suddenly Internet gambling is GOOD in Maryland. 

Say what?

Maybe the Mayans were right and the world really is coming to an end when we witness this type of a blatant 360 turn. 

Well of course, we knew it was coming.

How can a state that has gambling expansion so high up on its list of priorities go about totally ignoring the prospects of allowing online gambling?  The Governor scheduled a special legislation to discuss gambling expansion specifically for God’s sake! 

And they can skip right over the prerequisite “study” phase.  The US Attorney’s Office already has a solid grasp on how much money the industry takes in…and its potential economic impact on cash-strapped Maryland. 

Well, it happened.

Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, briefly noted the possibility of developing an online gambling component in a memo to the House Democratic Caucus in an update of plans for the session, which is scheduled to begin next Thursday.

“Since the voters overwhelmingly approved the establishment of a Maryland gaming program in 2008, every surrounding state with a gaming program has expanded to include table games and, in some cases, other forms of gambling,” the speaker wrote. “In order to maintain a healthy and competitive gaming program that attracts players from beyond Maryland’s borders and keeps Maryland gamers at home, we must put our gaming program on par with other jurisdictions in the Mid-Atlantic.”

Like neighboring Delaware maybe?

The First State just passed a bill legalizing online gambling, including poker, with the hopes of forming compacts with other states such as West Virginia (another of Maryland’s border neighbors) and Rhode Island.  New Jersey up I-95 is also considering legalizing Web gambling. 

Look, we here at Gambling911.com are all about gambling expansion in the state of Maryland and would love to see the Free State (I f***ing kid you not, forgive my French) start to offer online gambling to its residents.  But how can a state that has expressed such disdain for the activity turn around so suddenly and do a complete about face???

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com