Bodog out of US
Operator to let licensing agreement with Morris Mohawk Gaming Group lapse by end of 2011 to avoid "negative perceptions" of brand elsewhere.
Bodog is to pull its brand out of the US market by the end of this year in order to avoid “negative perceptions” in the UK and Asia.
The announcement follows less than two weeks after Bodog UK received a gambling licence from the UK Gambling Commission.
The company said in a statement this morning: “[I]n order to ensure the brand’s expansion is not affected by negative perceptions, both in the UK and elsewhere in emerging markets such as Asia, where Bodog88 is already successful, a decision has been made to withdraw the Bodog brand from the US market at the end of 2011.”
The Bodog Brand’s licensing agreement with the Kahwanake-licensed Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG) for use of the Bodog.eu domain will be allowed to expire on 31 December, after which no US players will be able to access this or any other Bodog-branded website.
Bodog first licensed its North American operations to the Morris Mohawk Group in September 2007, but began redirecting players to the Bodog.eu domain from Bodog.com on 23 May after US federal prosecutors embarked on their second wave of domain seizures targeting US-facing operators.
According to Bodog, MMGG plans to launch its own brand in 2012, which will continue to be licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.