The recently announced sale of the Bodog Poker Network to Pacific Rim-minded Bodog88 continues an increased focus by the company on emerging Eastern markets.
The sale of the international poker operation to Bodog88 comes only days after more negative reviews regarding Bodog’s slow payments to American sportsbettors, an ever-increasing problem that has resulted in a further downgrading of Bodog’s status on watchdog site sportsbettingsites.org [SBS].
SBS’s latest review summarizes many of Bodog’s recent difficulties, including payment periods approaching two months and the widespread unpopularity of Bodog’s (and US-facing Bovada’s) anonymous-player poker tables.
SBS downgraded several of its listed Bodog sites to a “C-“ status, among the lowest for prominent online gambling brands.
Bodog continues to push its anonymous-play, “recreational player” model in a press release that upsells the concept as much as it reports the sale of the international poker operations to Bodog88. Bodog CEO Patrik Selin stated:
It is obvious that the best fit for the Network is a company that understands the power of the brand – especially in a growth area such as Asia. I also know Bodog88’s Managing Director Robert Gustafsson well and he understands the importance of the recreational poker model which, again, is particularly strong for Asia, where trust is a much more important factor than concepts like rakeback that hold no meaning in the region.
The quote doesn’t address the loss of online SEO resulting from the shift from Bodog to Bodog88, nor does it explain why rakeback, another controversial topic, would hold “no meaning” for Asian customers.
Selin will remain in his role at BodogUK for now, though he has indicated that he will leave his post with that entity in the coming months.
