Bodog Lays Off 70 UK Employees

Bodog is laying off 70 employees from its UK operation. According to company officials, the move is part of a restructuring effort that’s included layoffs in other parts of Calvin Ayre’s far flung gaming empire.
Not surprisingly, the news set off a firestorm of speculation and conspiracy theories on gaming industry blogs and forums. But, so far, there’s no indication that the move is anything but what the company says it is; a restructuring based on a business analysis of the UK gaming market.
Other Bodog Layoffs
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first batch of layoffs in the Bodog family this month. Just last month a Costa Rican business process outsourcing company that worked closely with Bodog closed its doors.
Calvin Ayre Indicted
According to a release on the Bodog site, that move was brought on by market conditions, but exacerbated by Ayre’s recent legal troubles.
On its website the company said, “After the brand licensing agreement with the Bodog Brand and Morris Mohawk Gaming was terminated in December 2011, along with ever increasingly restrictive economic conditions in Costa Rica, the BPO had already started to make plans to to wind down its operations.”
Ayre’s Tough Year
While there’s no indication that Bodog is struggling financially, there’s every indication that 2012 has been anything but enjoyable for Ayre and company. Last month Ayre was indicted by US officials on gambling charges and the Department of Justice seized the Bodog.com domain.
While Ayre has a good shot at beating the charges, getting to not guilty could be a long, expensive venture. Life’s not all whiskey shots and supermodels for gaming’s number one party boy.
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