The internet has been all abuzz about the Bodog.com shut down by the State of Maryland. Now go someplace like Wikipedia and search for information on Bodog and you’ll find lots of stuff talking about how they’re bodog.com. But here’s the part that you have to search for, but that makes the state of Maryland’s action this week sort of useless. Back in May, 2011, Bodog changed its domain name to Bodog.eu. Then in December, the company pulled out of the US entirely, leaving the Morris Mohawk Gambling Group to open Bovada.lv.
So, what does all this translate to? Well, in an investigation into Bodog.com that some say can be traced as far back as 2006, the state of Maryland has finally managed to shut down and unused domain name and press charges against a Canadian who they won’t bother arresting unless he decides to show up in the US and say hi.
Now there’s a very good chance Bodog knew what was going on. Mostly because this has been like the slowest game of chase ever played. Back in 2008, Maryland pressed charges against two online payment processors for Bodog. They didn’t move against the company back then, but Bodog must have known they’d be investigated. Then in 2011 the FBI shut down 4 online poker domain names, none of which were Bodog. But they now had warning about what could happen. So, they arranged to shift domain names. And when they got the UK license, they pulled out of the US, probably because they knew they were being investigated. And two months after that, Maryland grabbed hold of the old domain and said “got ya!”
Meanwhile players at Bodog.eu and American players at Bovada.lv are playing as usual.
