Two Sides to Every Story
Just recently, July 30th to be exact, there has been a story put out by Forbes.com about how the U.S. Feds are hounding Bodog. According to the article the U.S. government recently seized $24 million from bank accounts
linked to Bodog, the giant Internet gaming
operation founded by Canadian tycoon Calvin Ayre.
Federal filings make very clear that a serious criminal investigation
of the Bodog enterprise is ongoing. At a minimum, word of the seizures
is likely to rattle the confidence of U.S.-based online gamblers that
they will receive their winnings, not only from Bodog but from the
industry's other remaining participants. You can read the full story by clicking here.
As we all know there's two sides to every story and Bodog has come out and spoken on this issue. I got this from over at Poker.com, and I quote..
"An article was recently released on Forbes.com
that creates several misimpression's that the Morris Mohawk Gaming
Group feels compelled to clarify for our customers.
As most of our customers already know, all operators outsource payment
processing functions to third parties and these payment processors are
subject to regulatory constraints wherever they operate, and,
occasionally in the US, are subject to legal action because of the
uncertain legal environment there.
However, the seizure of funds from these US payment processors was
mischaracterized in this article, which refers to two specific legal
cases against US processors. Rightly or wrongly, the article does not
make a clear distinction between these cases, which, as a result,
paints a misleading picture.
The facts are these: the first of these cases – relating to a seizure
of funds from a processor known as JBL Services – happened some time
ago and has absolutely nothing to do with the current payment
processing challenges being experienced in the US. The constraints
being experienced by payment processors in the US are universal in that
region and not specific to any particular processor or site. Also, note
that not one single player failed to get paid when this processor was disrupted.
The second case refers to a payment processor known as Zippayments.com
and seizure of funds from this processor’s bank accounts in Nevada. The
article falsely implies – but notably does not go so far as to state -
that $9.9M seized from Zippayment’s Nevada bank accounts were funds on
account for “Bodog”. This is simply false.
Processing partners with whom the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group does
business are sophisticated organizations that are perfectly clear as to
the actual facts of these cases and their contexts. They are unfazed by
such media hype and Morris Mohawk wishes to ensure that its customers
are similarly informed. Customer deposits are safe and every player has
and will always be paid.
Alwyn Morris
C.E.O.
Morris Mohawk Gaming Group"
It's always good to hear from the other side as well, and I have no doubts that players funds will remain safe with Bodog .
08.1.2008
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