Calvin Ayre

Calvin Ayre grew from humble beginnings as the son of a Canadian pig farmer to rise to the top of the online gaming world as the founder of the billion dollar global entertainment giant Bodog.  His work hard, play harder motto resonates through his Bodog brand.

In 1994, Ayre sold everything he owned to start a software company that would eventually become Bodog.com.

Ayre was not just creating a gambling company but he intended to build a brand that promoted a party lifestyle with Ayre as its consummate party host.

Ayre diligently grew the brand through the 1990’s with stylish marketing and public relation campaigns. When online gambling hit its tipping point with the mainstream media in the early 2000’s, Ayre and Bodog were poised for an explosion in popularity.

Through his unique and stylish branding efforts, backed up with an exceptionally solid product, Bodog grew to be the largest brand in the online gaming world.

The Bodog Brand had crossed over into the mainstream.  In 2006, Ayre was featured as the cover boy for the Forbes Billionaires issue and People magazine’s “Hottest Bachelors” issue. While at the pinnacle of Bodog’s success, Ayre sold Bodog.com and joined other UK-based gaming companies in leaving the suddenly volatile US market.

Under a model, unique to the online gaming sector, Calvin Ayre participates in a brand licensing organization. Bodogbrand.com licenses the ubiquitous Bodog brand in a franchise-like model to Bodog.com, Bodog.co.uk and Bodog88.com each with its own gaming license and players from around the world. The company’s newest venture Bodog Network Poker is poised to make a big impact in the online poker space.

Ayre never one to rest on his laurels, launched a pro-industry egaming news site CalvinAyre.com in 2009. The Tablog has grown into a trusted and sometimes controversial news source, which receives more qualified industry visitors than any other gaming news site on the net.

His stature as one of the most influential people in online gaming continues to grow. Playboy Magazine chose out Ayre for an extensive interview for their January 2011 issue. Titled “No Fun League – NFL vs. Gambling,” the article gives readers a look at his party lifestyle, showcases his branding prowess and gives an intelligent look at the prospects of US gaming regulation.

The site brandishing his name is not-for-profit, with all of the proceeds going to the Calvin Ayre Foundation. It is his way of giving back to the world with a focus on five broad areas: Environment, Education, Social Development, Child Welfare and Animal Welfare.

In May 2010, Calvin Ayre’s Bodog Brand made headlines by purchasing Slots.com at a domain auction, until the sale of Sex.com it was the highest price paid for a domain name in 2010 and fifth highest price ever.

The success of the Bodog brand made Calvin Ayre the most famous name in online gaming but his dedication to innovation will move the gaming industry as a whole forward in the future.