Popular US sportsbook and poker room Bodog will stop accepting action from US residents at the end of the year. The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG), who has licensed the Bodog brand in the US since 2006, expects to continue operating under a new name in 2012.
“In order to ensure the brand’s expansion is not affected by negative perceptions in both in the UK and elsewhere in emerging markets such as Asia,” states an official announcement from Bodog, “a decision has been made to withdraw the Bodog brand from the US market at the end of 2011.”
MMGG has been the exclusive operator of the Bodog Brand in the United States since the passing of the UIGEA in 2006. Originally operating on bodog.com, in May this year the primary domain was switched to Bodog.eu days after the dot-com domain seizures of “Blue Monday.”
“We understand that MMGG will launch under its own brand in 2012, licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission,” the statement continues. “All Bodog.eu clients’ funds will remain safe and they will have the option to switch to a new MMGG brand should they wish but MMGG confirms it’s business as usual.”
According to a Bodog representative, posting under the moniker “JustinR” on 2+2, MMGG will continue as a US skin on the Bodog poker network, and US players can continue to play on the international player pool. “In the end the only anticipated player facing change will be a new name and branding,” Justin notes.
The news comes after Bodog announced last week it had been granted a UK gaming license under the Bodog UK name. The license permits remote and non-remote gambling and sports betting ahead of the UK’s proposed gambling reform that would require all operators to obtain a UK license.
For online sports bettors, the news comes as another serious blow. Bodog, “A-rated” on SBR’s Recommended List, is one of the largest and most respected sportsbooks serving US players. Just days prior, top-tier book BetJamaica shut its doors to all players, and TheGreek stopped taking bets from US players. For online poker players in the United States, it is just another in a string of closures.
Updated July 28: Added clarification from Bodog representative regarding the planned switch.
