Bodog.com seized by United States Homeland Security

[Jennifer]

Does anyone know why United States Homeland Security would seize Bodog.com when it hasnt been operational in months? Seems pretty weird.

And just to add, its kind of scary to see them STILL going after gambling websites and seizing them...lol even ones not operational..

 

[pmutts]

Maybe that is why they are Bodog.eu now . . .

Does anyone know why the DOJ would seize Bodog.com when it hasnt been operational in months? Seems pretty weird.

And just to add, its kind of scary to see them STILL going after gambling websites and seizing them.

I'm curious, what is your source on this?

 

[Jennifer]

I'm curious, what is your source on this?

Sorry I just got a text from a friend of mine but now that Ive had a minute I found this article

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They speculate this could be the reason

The seizure could be some sort of revenge action against the Bodog Brand as a punishment for its past licensing of the domain name to a company with US facing business.

 

[BMWSTACK]

This information is accurate, it just happened. It was seized by Homeland Security. Look up Bodog.com and u will see. I really dont see the big deal, bodog.com has been dormant for some time, since they switched to their new address.

 

[cheetahwind]

Kind looks like another round of law suites are coming up here real quick. Granted they haven't used Bodog.com for a while, but I'm going to take a guess that there getting ready for another round of UIGEA violations ordeals. Granted they no longer are taking bets, I"m sure the investigation has been going on for a while before they shut down to the US anyways.

 

[lnspin]

it shows as seized for me too, but they havent used that domain in a long time.. using the .eu .ca and .co.uk and they all work..

 

[pokeraddict]

This is a non event. This was bound to happen which is why Bodog and others have stopped using their .coms.

 

[Surasanji]

This information is accurate, it just happened. It was seized by Homeland Security. Look up Bodog.com and u will see. I really dont see the big deal, bodog.com has been dormant for some time, since they switched to their new address.

Yup. Does appear to be pretty well seized at this time!

My question is: Does anyone know what gives the right to HOMELAND SECURITY to seize an internet domain like that? Wouldn't it be under some kind of civil law, even with the wire-act?

I'm just not sure how 'Illegal' internet gambling is under the jurisdiction of a group called 'Homeland Security'- its a questionable act.

Then again, I'm an Expat American who feels the United States he was raised to support is not the same that exists in its current form. I'm of the feeling that my homeland is sick.

In the sense that its got a disease, or an illness- something that can be cured... But, I'm no doctor. And I'm certainly no revolutionary.

Instead, I decided to go somewhere else!

But the fact remains: These are the first steps.
Be not blind to the loss of your liberty and freedom.
And remember: If you worship your freedom as you would a god- people will use it against you.
You will only be free when you accept not others deciding your freedom, and think not of it in your waking life.
When it ceases to become a longing, and becomes like breathing: Something you just can't imagine not doing, and would be appalled with the very concept of someone removing from you.

These are just the smallest first steps.

 

[The Dude]

Two important points from the article:

This seizure of the Bodog.com domain name highlights how dangerous it is to have a .com or .net domain in any industry, anywhere in the world as the current US climate leaves international companies with no due process to protect their trademarked domains.

and...

We have not received word on the other gambling companies still actively using .coms but we can assume Bodog.com won’t be the last domain taken in the US Government’s razing of the competition as it clears way for the large Nevada casino corporations to dominate under a proposed federal poker regulatory scheme.

With news like this, I'm ashamed to be an American. Homeland Security was set up to protect the "homeland" from terrorist attacks. A domain name is not an instrument of terrorism in any sense. Islamic jihad chat groups are what the HS should be concerned about - not bodog.com.

 

[jetset]

Damn right - it's another example of officialdom misusing supposedly national security laws for other purposes - remember the recent copyright extraditions?

 

[P.V.]

Two important points from the article:


and...


With news like this, I'm ashamed to be an American. Homeland Security was set up to protect the "homeland" from terrorist attacks. A domain name is not an instrument of terrorism in any sense. Islamic jihad chat groups are what the HS should be concerned about - not bodog.com.

I get what you're saying CM, many years ago when all I had was a WebTV, no real computer I purchased the domain Tennesseelottery.com. TN hadn't even considered a lottery back in those days, then many years later when they formed a Lottery they took it away like candy. Same thing happening here with OC's.

BTW, their domain is TNlottery so why take mine?

I touched base on the .com issue back in June 2011: https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/gambling-com-domains.44467/

IMO this is only going to get worse as the states legalize interactive gaming and they'll seize all domains providing online gambling to their residents whether it's done by the DOJ or the states them self. States will warn the ISP's, DOJ will shut you down! I would advise all OC's and sites promoting gaming within the US to have an alternative domain asap, or start forwarding to another now so its known by everyone.

I don't agree with the process but it's been coming for quite some time and will get worse as time moves forward, JMO.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I thought the US was heavily in debt. This is surely a complete waste of money, investigating and seizing a domain that has been dead for months. What will the voters think when they hear that money is not just being spent shutting down still active gambling domains, but going after long dead domains of businesses no longer taking US bets.

What next, seizure of ministeringangel(dot)com, XXLclub(dot)com.

Government spending everywhere is a big issue, but when everybody is being told their is no money for what is seen as the "essentials", the last thing any government wants is to be caught WASTING money.

Revenge is a personal matter, and should NOT be pursued by individuals through the use of state funds or machinery.

If covered properly, this could be an embarrassment to the Obama administration, already under fire for it's "out of control" spending. This is the kind of example our own right wing press seizes upon when Labour is in power, and an election is looming.

 

[threescatters]

Homeland Security was set up to protect the "homeland" from terrorist attacks. A domain name is not an instrument of terrorism in any sense. Islamic jihad chat groups are what the HS should be concerned about - not bodog.com.

could not agree more

 

[Mousey]

It's infuriating, it's embarrassing.... Wasn't Homeland Security involved in some of the most recent public seizures? And I could never quite figure out why?

Just because the big fat ugly stinky gorilla in our living room wasn't making noises lately doesn't mean he wasn't planning on crapping on our favorite sofa again.

 

[harrys99]

And yet another example of one of the worst administrations the US has ever had.

 

[conker]

All those years that Bodog operated in the US, post UIGEA and they wait until it has been dormant for months and then seize it. Sounds a bit fishy to me....

 

[Luckylizzy]

I wonder.. are .eu and other non-.com domains safe from US seizures or can they seize those as well if they are in violation of gambling laws?

 

[Jennifer]

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Federal prosecutors in Baltimore on Tuesday unsealed an indictment against Calvin Ayre, the former Canadian billionaire who founded Bodog, one of the world’s biggest online gambling firms. He is accused of operating an illegal gambling business and conspiring to commit money laundering.

U.S. Attorney in Baltimore, indicted Ayre and three other men, James Philip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney. The company, Bodog Entertainment Group, is also under indictment and its domain name has been seized by federal prosecutors.

 

[IanO]

I wonder.. are .eu and other non-.com domains safe from US seizures or can they seize those as well if they are in violation of gambling laws?

From:

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The reason the DOJ has had an easy time of seizing the .com’s of online gaming companies is that regardless of where the company registers the domain, it’s all comes down to an American Company, VeriSign being the absolute authority of the .com and .net domain extensions.

When the DOJ needs a site shut down, it doesn’t take much more than a phone call to one of the American domain registrars and the online gambling company’s right to use that domain name will be revoked without much of a fight. Of the ten domains seized, seven were registered in the US, six with Godaddy.com and the other with Register.com.

 

[anniemac]

There is nothing that the current administration does that surprises me anymore and looks like our choices for a replacement are about as ba.d.

I guess the best Homeland Security can do is go after a defunct .com site.

I am beyond disgusted.

 

[Jennifer]

Just got finished reading some of the comments here. As a canadian Its impossible for me to know exactly how americans feel. I do know if this happened in Canada, I would feel absolutely disgusted. America, the land of the free? Its starting to smell more communist than anything. If I want to play online poker with my money, who are they to say nope, sorry. Not in this Country. I would understand if it was because of "rigged" sites ripping people off, or pure money laundering in the real sense. Not the made up one that the DOJ likes to use.

Sometimes when I go to deposit online or even make a purchase, my credit card gets declined because its not authorized for online use. Why? Because America has a stake in my credit card company. Or how about these sites who do not allow Canadians because they fear the "North American government". I used to play on paddypower poker. I love the site, had a great affiliate deal. One day I log in after awhile of not being there, my account is locked and they no longer accept Canadians.

Its extremely annoying for me so I can only imagine how frustrating it is for americans.

 

[TheLastCylon]

As an American, these acts are disgusting and only add to the embarrassment that we are forced to face on an international scale. In all likelihood, they aren't even legal on our own terms!! I hope that these cases find their way to the Supreme Court.

 

[jstrike]

While we all know what the score is. What we've got here is a totally corrupt government bulldozing a path for Vegas to run licensed poker games with some kind of 20% rake. My question is what the **** does Homeland Security have to do with this? Don't they have their hands full with molesting everybody's children at the airport? No pun intended.

 

[shaggy5500]

re

Pretty easy to understand - just another case of americans trying to control the world and nothing less, hopefully I am still alove to watch them fall as they desperatly try to hold on to any resemblance of self worth and respect.

I use to have respect for america but see it as a sad pathetic country now, as does most of the world and how unfortunate is that considering all that past generations had accomplished in the usa to lny watch it go to the dogs.

 

[Nifty29]

While we all know what the score is. What we've got here is a totally corrupt government bulldozing a path for Vegas to run licensed poker games with some kind of 20% rake. My question is what the **** does Homeland Security have to do with this? Don't they have their hands full with molesting everybody's children at the airport? No pun intended.

All I can say to my American friends is that you reap what you sow. It's not an insult at all....just a fact I.e. that you get the kind of politicians that you vote for.

Until US citizens stop allowing their electoral behavior to be hijacked by media monopolies and the intrinsically corrupt party duopoly, the rich and powerful will get richer and more powerful at the expense of the average Joe, and the "freedoms" their founding fathers fought so hard for will continue to be eroded.

It also appears that government regulation is on the way, which is what so many members here have been screaming about for years....and rightly so in terms of player protection. However, legality comes at a premium, and, as jstrike pointed out, the punter will be paying full price.....to the same rich and powerful who control just about everything else in the country. I suspect that, once the regulations are set out and the real cost to the end user is established, many of those who initially supported regulation might be thinking twice, as their RTP falls well below current online offerings and the IRS has every penny you wager on record.

As Bryan has said many times....be careful what you wish for.

It's certain that US-facing current operators will feel the pinch of big regulated US operators entering the market, but I'm confident that many will soon get sick of getting less value for their dollar and filter back to their old haunts. After all, if there was never a question of being paid from your old casino, and they offer and extra 5-10% RTP on their games, then you would be a fool not to go back, as the extra % is only lining the pockets of those who already have a far bigger slice of the pie than they deserve.

 

[HadEnouth]

I support what the USA are doing. Long over due in fact. Europe needs to follow America's lead and take all the criminal mafia out of the picture and have proper controlled gambling regulated by our goverment, Not untrust worthy independent gambling authority like The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) that take over £100.000 a year fees to supply a Gambling licences, They will never be in a hurry to remove a Gambling licences from anyone as it be one hell of a loss of fees each year.

I strongly beleive in what the USA goverment is doing.

 

[Glunn11]

Well apparently the Department of Homeland Security is just terrible in every way and has been for years. This

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was certainly... interesting. Unfortunately, it looks like everything has a legitimate source too.

"36th on the results-oriented performance culture index"

Clearly.

 

[Seventh777]

Europe needs to follow America's lead and take all the criminal mafia out of the picture

And what will America do for a government when all the criminals are taken out of the picture?.

 

[jstrike]

If the point of regulation was to get criminals out of the picture, then this is a massive fail. It's kind of like the "overdraft protection" racket all the banks like Wells Fargo were running, where they "protect" you by stacking your purchases in the order that gives you the most overdrafts possible.

Step 1: Find some loosely regulated sector where people want more customer protection.
Step 2: Regulate the existing companies out of business.
Step 3: Deregulate and let your buddies come in and do the same thing, only much worse because they don't have any competition, so instead of having to compete in the free market they only have to answer to some congressional committee that can all be bribed for $40k and a weekend in the Bahamas.

In Alderney, Malta, Jersey, Curacao, etc., anybody with a clean record and enough cash can get licensed. That might be an open door to criminals some of the time, but at least it's open to good operators too. The style of regulation the US is creating is only open to the richest crooks on the planet. An honest company - and forget about a new company or a startup, or anyone who's gonna actually compete on quality or RTP, doesn't stand a chance in hell of getting a foot in that door.

The picture gets a little cloudier when you throw in crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, though. I wouldn't be surprised if the US gov't eventually declared Bitcoins a form of terrorism (in the name of the children, obviously), just to protect their filthy rich corporate masters from any kind of competition. In the meanwhile, though, it should be an interesting few years. We don't take US players because I personally have no desire to test those waters, or the bankroll to fight the government in court, but it's clear to me that Bitcoin is going to be adopted quickly over there, because the tighter the government squeezes, the more websites and individual players are going to be looking for new ways to slip through their fingers.

 

[harrys99]

If the point of regulation was to get criminals out of the picture, then this is a massive fail. It's kind of like the "overdraft protection" racket all the banks like Wells Fargo were running, where they "protect" you by stacking your purchases in the order that gives you the most overdrafts possible.

I had an account at 5/3 Bank. Not only were they stacking the order of items to maximize the nsf and overdraft fees-even if you made a deposit before the items hard posted they would put the deposit in last after charging all the fees. I am proud to say that I was part of a class action suit that got this practice changed!

 

[jstrike]

I had an account at 5/3 Bank. Not only were they stacking the order of items to maximize the nsf and overdraft fees-even if you made a deposit before the items hard posted they would put the deposit in last after charging all the fees. I am proud to say that I was part of a class action suit that got this practice changed!

Nice job!

Not to get too off topic here (oops), but I filed in small claims court against Wells Fargo when they did that to me. I've never been so PO'd in my life. They took an $8 overdraft where I'd made a deposit to cover it on the same day, and turned it into $250 or something in overdraft charges. And this was after they had just lost a class action suit a week earlier in Florida about exactly that thing. After I filed the claim I walked into my branch and politely told the bank manager that I was going to see him in court. They called me and settled the next day

 

[nisosbar]

The picture gets a little cloudier when you throw in crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, though. I wouldn't be surprised if the US gov't eventually declared Bitcoins a form of terrorism (in the name of the children, obviously)

Yup. (And just trying to think if you nabbed all the 'scary!' War On Terror/Fighting-them-There,So-You-don't-Have-To tropes and touchstones here... Guess you could try working in something like, 'online gambling will give you hemhorroids!' )