Online betting websites like Bodog and BetUS are two of the biggest in the World, both operate out of Costa Rica, San Jose region. Calvin Ayre, owner of Bodog, started the company in late 1999 with 10,000 US dollars and by the end of 2006, it was estimated that Bodog.com was taking in over 6 billion in yearly betting revenue, with 5 billion just in US dollars! A family in Costa Rica found themselves homeless after a devasting house fire destroyed their home and took the lives of two of their family members. The Calvin Ayre Foundation immediately came to the rescue. They provided a place for the family to stay while they rebuilt their home. The Calvin Ayre Foundation steps in to help a family whose house and two family members were tragically devastated by fire. One of our priorities at the Calvin Ayre Foundation is to develop a sense of solidarity with the people and help them overcome many of the hardships they might face. In May of 2006, a family from Heredia, Costa Rica, tragically lost two of their members and their entire house to a. QCOSTARICA Costa rica News. Latin America & The World.

Calvin Ayre is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, and he has the online gambling empire he founded in 1994 to thank for catapulting him into billionaire status. Featured on both Forbes Magazine’s “Billionaires Edition” and PEOPLE’s “Most Eligible Bachelor,” the charismatic Canadian mogul has made a big name for himself in the online casino circuit and among Hollywood’s most elite.

A classic tale of rags to riches, learn more about how his humble beginnings on a farm in small-town Canada helped shape the success he would go on to achieve from Bodog. In this Calvin Ayre biography, find out how his run-in with the law forced him offshore, where he refocused his entrepreneurial and philanthropic efforts.

Early Life

Calvin Ayre was born on May 25, 1961, near Lloydminster in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. His parents, who often struggled to make ends meet, were determined to teach Calvin about the value of hard work at a young age. He grew up on a farm, where his dad assigned him his own pigs to raise every year:

Calvin Ayre Costa Rica Houses For Sale

“My Dad wanted to teach me to be a businessman, so he gave me my own little pigs and then I had to raise them up and then sell (them). So I was running a miniature little pig farm inside the bigger one,”.

Calvin Ayre Costa Rica House For Sale

Hard work and responsibility were the constant themes that rang throughout his childhood, and he considered them the norm. In an interview with The Guardian, Ayre recalled,

“All through my life it was get up in the morning, go feed the pigs, go to school and come back. It was dark when you left, and dark when you came back.”

Education

Before Ayre was ready to start high school, his family relocated to Salmon Arm, a city in the Canadian province of British Columbia. He excelled in high school and got good grades, but his family’s financial situation didn’t allow the funds necessary to attend college.

Taking matters into his own hands, he started selling fruit out of his truck on the weekends so that he could pay his way through college. He transported fresh fruit from the orchards of Columbia to the people of Saskatchewan.

In 1984, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. In 1989, he achieved an MBA in Management Finance from City University in Seattle, Washington.

First Real Job

Upon completing his studies, Ayre received a job offer from Bicer Medical Systems. The heart valve manufacturer was facing major financial difficulties and recruited Ayre’s expertise to keep them from going under. He was determined to help the business succeed, even at the cost of bending some of the rules.

Bending the rules involved selling 300,000 shares without releasing a prospectus and moving company shares without filing the necessary paperwork first. The resulting damage? Ayre was forced to pay $10,000 in fees and was no longer allowed to list a company on the Vancouver Stock Exchange.

This failed attempt at running a medical company, coupled with a negative hit on the BC Securities Commission, set his eyes onto something bigger and more promising: Bodog.

In 1994, Ayre launched what would become one of the most successful online gambling sites in history, Bodog. He staked everything he owned for his biggest win to date.

The Rise of Bodog

Creation

His “aha” moment came two years prior, after reading a newspaper article featuring an intriguing story about a bookie named Ronald Sacco. Sacco ran a Caribbean-based company that offered betting services to people in the United States over the telephone. While this type of operation is illegal in the United States, Sacco found a temporary loophole in the fact that it was completely legal in the Dominican Republic.

Ayre recognized that not only was there money to be made in the gambling market, but that gambling was tailor-made for the internet. With this sweet spot in mind, Ayre quickly got to work on developing his online sports betting site.

How He Did It

Ayre immersed himself in software design by reading Cisco System manuals and learned how to develop the coding for the site fully on his own.

In an effort to avoid future complications from US authorities, he based his gambling business in Costa Rica, where he held a license:

“I’ve never done any business in the U.S. All the business I’ve ever done has always been in countries where I have a license,” Ayre told American Gaming News.

Calvin Ayre Costa Rica House For Rent

What’s in a Name

While typing in different five to six-letter combinations in a search domain engine one night, he came up with the appellation in the way a major corporation would pick a name for a new car or soft drink brand. The name had to be six letters or less, easy to remember, visually appealing (there’s five o’s in Bodog), and have enough spunk to separate itself from competitors.

He conducted a survey with his family and friends and asked what the company name “Bodog” made them think of. Each of them said it made them think of some form of entertainment. Ayre knew he had a winner.

Bodog’s Appeal

What set Bodog Casino apart from other online sportsbooks at the time was anchoring Ayre’s public image as the main selling point: This luxurious lifestyle can be yours too if you become a successful sports bettor.

Featuring the man behind the website cemented its authenticity during a crucial time when online gaming popularity surged in the mid-2000s.

Expanding Beyond Gambling

Inspired by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group brand, Ayre expanded Bodog’s reach past the online gaming realm to become a “mainstream 21st-century digital entertainment conglomerate.”

He started his own recording label called Bodog Music, releasing albums for artists like Bleed the Dream, Wu-Tang Clan, and Pitbull. He also launched the television series called Bodog Music Battle of the Bands, where unsigned bands would compete for a $1 million record deal from Bodog Music.

Bodog Casino also branched out into sports by hosting events like Bodog Fight, a mixed martial arts league that including a television series and live pay-per-view events, and the Lingerie Bowl, a football game between two teams of models sporting only lingerie.

The Company Thrives

The company continued to thrive and, by 2005, they were processing more than a million bets per day with an estimated yearly revenue of $210 million. Ayre’s personal wealth also skyrocketed, and he became a self-made billionaire.

Ayre Faces Trouble

When the United States passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, Bodog had to close its doors to US customers. Ayre decided to sell the US side of his brand to the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group of Quebec. This wasn’t an easy decision for Ayre to make, and it caused him to withdraw from the direct operation of his company for several years.

In February 2012, he was indicted by the US Attorney for Maryland on charges of money laundering and illegal gambling. This was a direct result of his involvement in Bodog Casino prior to the institution of the UIGEA. He was placed on Homeland Security Investigations’ Most Wanted list, and as a result, stayed off US soil for several years.

Latest Entrepreneurial Endeavors

US federal prosecutors officially dropped their charges against Calvin Ayre in 2017, after he willingly forfeited $60 million worth of assets to pay off his debts to the government. He currently doesn’t have plans to return to the United States, but is free to do so if he ever changes his mind.

Ayre has since launched Ayre Group, which focuses on venture capital, real estate, media, resort development and Bitcoin. Ayre said in an interview with American Gaming News,

“That whole executive stuff has gone out of my life and that gives me more time to enjoy myself,”

Ayre now serves as Economic Envoy of Antigua and Barbuda. He is responsible for overseeing the economic cooperation between Antigua and Barbuda and other countries. He will help the government understand how to use cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology so that they can stay up to date with the latest technological advancements. Ayre is happy to serve in this new position, saying, “It’s nice to have an opportunity to give back to my adopted homeland.”

In 2018, Ayre was named the Antiguan Halo Foundation’s Philanthropist of the Year at its annual Wings of Charity event.

Philanthropy

Ayre leveraged his success by launching the Calvin Ayre Foundation, a foundation designed to give back to those in need. Although the foundation is based in Antigua, it helps serve over eight countries around the world. It focuses on five key areas of giving: child welfare, animal welfare, education, emergency response, and social development.

Child Welfare

His foundation has raised over $150,000 for the LA Lakers Youth Foundation. Each year, they hold a sportsfest in the Philippines, which provides a fun-filled day of sports and entertainment for the youth. This program is completely free and is designed to get kids active and to show them they are valued within their community.

This foundation also helps fund the Lomonosovsky Dom Rebenka facility, which provides resources for babies born with neurological conditions.

It is located in Russia and houses over 100 children who don’t have parents that are willing or able to care for them. The facility was falling apart, but this foundation paid for its renovations, which included a new foundation.

Animal Welfare

After learning about the thousands of cats and dogs that were left homeless as a result of Hurricane Katrina, he teamed up with Animal Avengers, a nonprofit organization created by actress Shannon Elizabeth, to raise money for rehome fees and the cost of proper medical attention. A celebrity poker night brought in over $50,000 for this cause.

The Calvin Ayre Foundation also works closely with the World Society for the Protection of Animals to raise awareness for bear bile farming.

Education

Ayre’s time in Costa Rica opened his eyes to the poor school conditions in the area. The schools’ lack of resources leads to low literacy rates and increased dropout rates. Upon seeing the effects firsthand, Ayre started the Adopt-a-School program, which helps provide schools with completely renovated facilities that are designed to create a more conducive learning environment. They also organize field trip opportunities for the students.

This recognizes the importance of integrating technology into a student’s education, which is why they have provided several schools with fully-equipped computer rooms.

They don’t just supply the equipment, but they also take the time to show the students how it works and how they can use it to help enhance their learning experience.

Emergency Response

This foundation has funds set aside to help people who face unexpected tragedies. A family in Costa Rica found themselves homeless after a devasting house fire destroyed their home and took the lives of two of their family members.

The Calvin Ayre Foundation immediately came to the rescue. They provided a place for the family to stay while they rebuilt their home. They also provided clean clothes and fresh food.

When an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, this foundation rushed over to offer medical assistance to those who were injured.

They also challenged the online gaming industry to donate to this cause so that they could rebuild the homes that were damaged by the earthquake. The foundation agreed to match all donations up to $1,000,000.

Social Development

This foundation has two main programs that look to improve social development, the Adopt-a-Family program and the Adopt-a-Village program. Their Adopt-a-Family program helps provide families with clean water, nutritious food, and basic toiletries. They also send nurses and doctors to educate families on personal hygiene.

The Adopt-a-Village program helps provide food packs and construction materials to villages who have suffered from natural disasters. Their volunteers work closely with these families, giving them emotional support and helping them cope with the loss of their homes and loved ones.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

The Vietnamese Bookmaker Market

V9bet is one of the leading bookmakers in Vietnam. Launched on the Vietnamese market in 2012, V9bet quickly developed strongly and became the leading high-quality bookie in Asia.

Can I Bet on BetOnline.ag From Georgia?

You are able to place real money bets on BetOnline.ag from the state of Georgia. Best of all, they offer a certain degree of anonymity when signing up, do not report your winnings and offer a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1000).

Can I Bet on Draftkings Sportsbook App From California?

You will not be able to bet using the Draftkings sportsbook app from California as that state is yet to amend its laws applying to sports wagering. International websites are also accessible from CA however.

Am I Able to Bet on the Fanduel App From Colorado?

You are able to bet on the FanDuel app as of May 1, 2020 from the great state of Colorado.

Can I Play on Bovada From Arizona?

While playing on Bovada is indeed possible from the great state of Arizona, Gambling911.com recommends BetOnline for its fast payouts, excellent bet options and dime lines in Major League Baseball as well as their much more attractive bonus offers.