BoDog, the Costa Rica-based sportsbook operator, has achieved massive mainstream media coverage in the US thanks to a failed offer to host a US$50m college football game.
A full-page advertisement detailing the offer ran in the Los Angeles Times’ sports section on Saturday 8 January and news of it was carried on most of the major sport networks.
It was dismissed by some industry insiders as a publicity stunt in the manner of similar high-profile moves from Casino Fortune and Empire Poker.
But Calvin Ayre, CEO of BoDog, insisted the offer was genuine and would have been a commercially viable option for the firm.
“It was a serious offer as it would have paid for itself from the television rights to the game and our exposure during the Bodog.com Bowl,” Ayre said.
“We saw it as a win-win opportunity but until official US opinion on sports betting catches up to the majority of the rest of the world, US colleges, students, and fans are going to be restricted from the benefits of a relationship with organisations like ours,” he added.
BoDog put the offer to the two leading college football teams in the US the opportunity to compete in one final bowl game, with a total prize pool of US$50m.
The deadline, which was clearly stated in the letters, expired on Tuesday 11 January, and only one of the team’s presidents deigned to respond.
source : egaming review magazine
