Bodog and PokerScout Traffic Stats Debate

Let’s put it this way: the executives at Bodog and PokerScout are not going to be exchanging Christmas gifts this year. The two companies have been at odds for several months and it does not appear that a resolution is in the cards.
As of late, the feud between the two sides has really heated up. PokerScout continues to collect information to determine how much traffic online poker services are receiving. However, there is an issue with this: Bodog never gave permission to PokerScout to do so.
If this petty feud wasn’t bad enough, a new issue has come to the forefront. PokerScout is reporting a 10% decrease in traffic, which is due in large part to Bodog’s recent introduction of anonymous tables. According to Bodog officials, this traffic decrease is greatly exaggerated.
Calvin Ayre, founder of Bodog, released the following statement:
“It shouldn’t surprise any of you that we’re not fans of Dan Stewart, his site Pokerscout.com and their business model of exploiting poker operator’s data without permission for profit. This dislike existed even before his extortion attempt of our friends over at Bodog poker. Dan’s business model involves pilfering a poker operator’s proprietary data and profiting on it without permission. Even if he doesn’t have accurate data, he’ll still post and profit from the inaccurate and fictional numbers.”
At this point, you made find it easy to side with Bodog. However, consider this final detail before you make up your mind: is PokerScout stealing from online poker services, such as Bodog, or are they simply offering useful information to the industry?
There have also been reports, although unconfirmed, that Bodog asked to be removed from the Pokerscout site. As the rumor goes, Pokerscout agreed – but only if Bodog paid a sum of $1 million. If true, it is easy to see why this showdown is beginning to boil over.
Who is right? Bodog or Pokerscout? Leave your comment below!