BODOG BITES MIKE TYSON
written June 9, 2005 by The Shrink
Now that I your undivided attention, I believe Mike Tyson was the culprit of chewing Evander Holyfield's ear back on June 27, 1997 during their boxing match. The only thing Bodog may be guilty of is biting back at their critics and forging ahead into stardom.
Less than two years ago, I first met with their founder and CEO, Calvin Ayre. You see, BODOG was one of the sports books who attended the FIRST ever RX bash in 2003, and ironically, they had their first BODOG conference in Las Vegas***, the exact same weekend as our party...
In order to compete successfully in today's market, one has to be a visionary who works very hard. The competition is so keen that if you aren't aware of exactly who is in your rear view mirror and who it is you are targeting, you will undoubtedly fail.
At the time of Bodog's first conference back in the summer of 2003, I sat down with Calvin Ayre to discuss our industry. It took me all of 5 minutes to figure out that not only was he sharp, creative, and aware of what others were doing, but what struck me the most about Calvin was his drive, ambition, and vision.
Having been around since the mid nineties, I have been privileged to interview many leaders of successful gambling enterprises. Some of the ones who impressed me the most along the way are Jay Cohen, Simon Noble, Billy Scott, Ron Sacco, Christopher Costigan, JonnyD Winward of the Gaming Group, and the top dog at Pinnacle Sports. Although not many agreed with me back then, I listed Calvin amongst these industry icons and predicted that BODOG would become in industry leader within the next couple of years. Truer words were never spoken.
What Calvin has done for Bodog's image and niche is truly astonishing. In less than two years, he has been directly responsible for taking Bodog to the next level. He has used his creative genius to propel them into the stratosphere. So how did he do it?
Marketing, marketing, marketing. It's all about good marketing, once you have a solid product to showcase. While I have been around sports books long enough to know that some are clearly better than Bodog when it comes to other aspects of this business; such as lines, point spreads, and overall bookmaking, what separates Bodog from the others is being multi talented and creative throughout their entire business model.
Having the most talented lines maker is not nearly enough to be successful in the offshore gambling industry. For example, Poker is now King and many of Calvin's competitors are just realizing this. Bodog has excelled so much in this arena within one year, that they are now marketing themselves as much of a Poker Site as a Sports book. Another shining example of Calvin's marketing genious: Bodog's annual conference this year is scheduled to blast off almost at the exact same time as the final event of the World Series of Poker! They believe they can give Party Poker a run for their money soon and I wouldn't advise betting against Calvin.
Another secret to his success is passion. Calvin is driven and focused. He also understands that being controversial is a good thing.
Ah, alas, a man after my own heart.
In two nights, Mike Tyson will be entering the ring once more against Kevin McBride at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.
Alright, I am sure you've heard an ear full by now...
THE SHRINK
***The Bodog.com Poker and Sports Marketing Conference will be held July 6-7, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Convention center in Las Vegas, USA. The conference sessions will take place in the Islander Ballroom in the North Convention Center, Lower Level.
For more information, see http://www.bodogconference.com/register.html
written June 9, 2005 by The Shrink
Now that I your undivided attention, I believe Mike Tyson was the culprit of chewing Evander Holyfield's ear back on June 27, 1997 during their boxing match. The only thing Bodog may be guilty of is biting back at their critics and forging ahead into stardom.
Less than two years ago, I first met with their founder and CEO, Calvin Ayre. You see, BODOG was one of the sports books who attended the FIRST ever RX bash in 2003, and ironically, they had their first BODOG conference in Las Vegas***, the exact same weekend as our party...
In order to compete successfully in today's market, one has to be a visionary who works very hard. The competition is so keen that if you aren't aware of exactly who is in your rear view mirror and who it is you are targeting, you will undoubtedly fail.
At the time of Bodog's first conference back in the summer of 2003, I sat down with Calvin Ayre to discuss our industry. It took me all of 5 minutes to figure out that not only was he sharp, creative, and aware of what others were doing, but what struck me the most about Calvin was his drive, ambition, and vision.
Having been around since the mid nineties, I have been privileged to interview many leaders of successful gambling enterprises. Some of the ones who impressed me the most along the way are Jay Cohen, Simon Noble, Billy Scott, Ron Sacco, Christopher Costigan, JonnyD Winward of the Gaming Group, and the top dog at Pinnacle Sports. Although not many agreed with me back then, I listed Calvin amongst these industry icons and predicted that BODOG would become in industry leader within the next couple of years. Truer words were never spoken.
What Calvin has done for Bodog's image and niche is truly astonishing. In less than two years, he has been directly responsible for taking Bodog to the next level. He has used his creative genius to propel them into the stratosphere. So how did he do it?
Marketing, marketing, marketing. It's all about good marketing, once you have a solid product to showcase. While I have been around sports books long enough to know that some are clearly better than Bodog when it comes to other aspects of this business; such as lines, point spreads, and overall bookmaking, what separates Bodog from the others is being multi talented and creative throughout their entire business model.
Having the most talented lines maker is not nearly enough to be successful in the offshore gambling industry. For example, Poker is now King and many of Calvin's competitors are just realizing this. Bodog has excelled so much in this arena within one year, that they are now marketing themselves as much of a Poker Site as a Sports book. Another shining example of Calvin's marketing genious: Bodog's annual conference this year is scheduled to blast off almost at the exact same time as the final event of the World Series of Poker! They believe they can give Party Poker a run for their money soon and I wouldn't advise betting against Calvin.
Another secret to his success is passion. Calvin is driven and focused. He also understands that being controversial is a good thing.
Ah, alas, a man after my own heart.
In two nights, Mike Tyson will be entering the ring once more against Kevin McBride at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.
Alright, I am sure you've heard an ear full by now...
THE SHRINK
***The Bodog.com Poker and Sports Marketing Conference will be held July 6-7, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Convention center in Las Vegas, USA. The conference sessions will take place in the Islander Ballroom in the North Convention Center, Lower Level.
For more information, see http://www.bodogconference.com/register.html
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