Bodog Entertainment: The Future of Digital Entertainment

What started off with a vision of building a brand unlike any other in the online gaming industry some 10 years ago is now a fully realized international media and digital entertainment powerhouse. And with further plans to transform this digital empire into one of the world's hottest brands, Bodog Entertainment's Founder, Calvin Ayre, couldn't be more thrilled - or inspired.

"We all take risks every day, but some of us enjoy them more than others," Ayre says. "Change is a desired constant state for success."

Already recognized as a world authority on branding in digital entertainment, Ayre was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine's best-selling "Billionaires" issue in 2006. This coincided with Ayre being named one of People magazine's "Hottest Bachelors", making him the first individual to be featured in both magazines in the same year.

The international expansion of the Bodog brand is ongoing and represented by a number of Bodog offices around the world. Bodog’s head office, located in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, is primarily focused on the European market.

Bodog has a thriving online poker community, which includes the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. Bodog's exciting and fast-growing multi-player online poker community features Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7-Card Stud, 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo and 5-Card Stud.

Bodog's full Vegas-style online casino offers more than 80 flash and downloadable games. In 2006, Casino Player magazine ranked Bodog No. 1 for having the best customer service and best casino promotions in the online gaming industry.

Bodog also offers odds on sports and pop culture to an international audience, garnering daily media coverage. The digital entertainment giant has been featured in news publications and television shows around the world.

Bodog Entertainment also offers a host of entertainment services, including: a publishing division (that includes Bodog Nation, an online magazine, and the Bodog Beat, an entertainment blog), and an international television production division, which produces television, such as mixed martial arts series BodogFight and reality series Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker and Bodog Battle.

In addition to those in-house creative projects, Bodog's events department - renowned for producing parties that are stunning, chic and celebrity-filled - has sponsored numerous high-profile entertainment and charitable events, including a massive MTV party with Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, Diddy's own post-VMA awards bash, a rock concert with rap superstar Snoop Dogg, "Viva Las Vegas" at the Cannes Film Festival, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation 2nd Annual Casino Night (which included a charitable donation), the Hawaiian Tropic Super Bowl Bikini pageant and party in Jacksonville, Fla., the Major League Baseball preview party with Razor Magazine in Phoenix, the 2005 Indy 500 eXtreme VIP Pre-Race Party in Indianapolis, and the Genesis Awards After-Party supporting the Humane Society in Los Angeles.

Among his philanthropic contributions, Ayre has sponsored a number of students from less fortunate families around the world. With Ayre's help, these students attend universities and colleges. Additionally, Ayre has ensured that the sponsored students and their immediate families are extended dental and medical benefits to ease their financial burden. Recently, two of the students graduated with degrees in Criminology and eCommerce in Canada and the Philippines, respectively. A third student is studying tourism in Brazil.

Through his international philanthropic organization based in Antigua, Calvin Ayre Foundation, Ayre has supported a host of other causes, specifically in areas of environment, animal welfare and education for the disadvantaged youth. On an annual basis, Calvin Ayre Foundation finances a public school in Costa Rica, providing upgrades for the facility, supplying new computers, and improving soccer fields and has committed to a similar program in Antigua. Calvin Ayre Foundation also carries out charitable initiatives in Asia and other regions of the world.

Bodog Music is yet another product of Calvin Ayre's vision for the future expansion of his billion-dollar digital entertainment company. With offices in the U.K., Germany, Canada and other countries, this web-based music distribution division features a roster of talented international rock and hip-hop artists. Bodog Music's team of experienced producers and scouts are devoted to making Bodog Music the leader in 21st Century music production and distribution.

A significant Bodog Music program includes a million-dollar band search competition and accompanying reality television series called Bodog Battle, which draws on the international talent pool and utilizes online and traditional methods to identify future artists for the label.

The Bodog Battle is a natural fit for a company that lives by the Play Hard ethic of its founder, but further proof of this double-edged business strategy are two groundbreaking TV series: mixed martial arts program BodogFight and reality series Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker.

A six-episode television series that was filmed by FSN (Fox Sports Net) at the luxurious Bodog Compound in Costa Rica, Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker aired weekly on FSN throughout the month of April 2006 and is being rerun on other networks worldwide with the 2nd season slated to air in 2007 on ION television.

In the series, Ayre set out to discover the next TV poker star. The series detailed the journey of 40 individuals - 10 celebrities, 10 poker professionals and 20 Bodog poker players - who used their card-playing skills to compete for a $500,000 grand prize. The series showcased poker games, Costa Rican excursions, Bodog Music artists and the billion-dollar lifestyle of the show's adventurous host. Development is currently under way for the second season of Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker slated to air in 2007.

Created and produced by BodogTV, BodogFight was launched in September 2006 on Men's Outdoor and Recreation channel, DISH network and online at Bodog Fight. Featuring the world's toughest up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters, the multi-episode series showcases more than a dozen elite modern-day warriors, all vying for the right to represent Team USA and to square off against members of the Russian Red Devils team, a group known for its fierce roster that includes world heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. At a live pay-per-view event to conclude the first season, the USA vs. Russia grudge match provided fans with an international showdown, leaving one team with global bragging rights and the other team battered and bloodied. The second season of BodogFight will be airing on ION Television culminating with a pay-per-view finale done in association with M1 scheduled for April 14th 2007 live from St. Petersburg, Russia.

"I wanted the BodogFight TV series and interactive web site to set new standards for fans," Ayre says. "With bootlegged fight videos for the hardcore fans and uncut, uncensored interviews with the BodogFight referee and fighters available on the web site, this series has captured all the components and riveting action that MMA offers."

Mixed martial arts athletes competing for world domination? Multi-million-dollar WSOP champions taking the poker world by storm? A $1-million international recording contract to a rising independent rock band? Bodog Entertainment has come a long way since its beginnings in the online gaming space. With two other music and lifestyle shows in the works, the future of digital entertainment has arrived, seemingly in a click of the mouse.

About Bodog Entertainment

Founded in 1994, Bodog Entertainment, with its head office located in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, is one of the world's fastest growing media and digital entertainment giants. Bodog offers a host of entertainment services, including online gaming; an international record label, Bodog Music; a million-dollar band search competition, Bodog Battle of the Bands; a publishing division (with an online magazine, Bodog Nation, and blog, Bodog Beat); and an international television production division (Bodog TV), which has produced reality television series such as Bodog Fight, Calvin Ayre Wildcard Poker and Bodog Salutes the Troops. For more information, contact Media Relations at 1-866-892-3371, or press@tv.bodoglife.net. BODOG is a registered trademark of Bodog Entertainment Group.