This is starting to remind me of the Crazy Eddie saga all over again (loving and wanting the attention). There is nothing wrong liking the spot light, but you have to know when to say when sometimes Calvin.
Calvin Ayre rides gambling, fighting and music all the way to the bank
Calvin Ayre rides gambling, fighting and music all the way to the bank
TORONTO (CP) - Calvin Ayre responds quickly when asked what's best about being a billionaire.
"The girls," he says. "Without any doubt. "Anybody that says anything other than that has got to be lying." It's an answer Ayre's target audience at Bodog.com would appreciate.
"We're in gambling, fighting and music," Ayre told The Canadian Press in an interview at a downtown hotel Tuesday. "Those are very primeval areas of interest that I think you will find are attractive in any culture on the planet."
The combination has made the native of Lloydminster, Sask., a wealthy man with online gambling leading the way. His goal is to spread Bodog around the globe by using the Internet and television to sell his brand.
Forbes magazine put him on the cover of its billionaires issue in March 2006. It's a nice place to be, standing next to the words: "The richest people in the world."
Ayre was suddenly the poster boy for big bucks.
He didn't make this year's list, but says that was only because given the current anti-online gambling stance of U.S. authorities, he was not willing to share the kind of information the magazine wanted.
"They thought I was worthy of the list when my revenues were $200 million (US)," he said of Forbes. "The next year my revenues were $300 million and I'm not on the list because they said that in their opinion I didn't have as much money.
"When your revenues go up by 50 per cent, you certainly feel like you're richer," he added with a laugh.
In 2005, Bodog.com took US$7.3 billion in online wagers. Last year, the figure was "over 10 (billion) for sure," he said.
Ayre, 46, won't call online gambling the core of his business, labelling it rather "the financial engine."
"Everything's about getting traffic to websites," he explained.
New Bodog routes include mixed martial arts through Bodog Fight, shown in Canada on The Fight Network, and music via Bodog music.
Ayre says he got into MMA because he likes the sport. But it also fits into his demographic, adding to the lifestyle he is trying to sell.
"A lot of the stuff that we do is sort of instinctual, he says. "I consider myself to be sort of a typical consumer.
"I look at stuff and think, 'Well I like that.' After playing hockey for many many years and hanging out with guys, particularly North Americans, I think I have a pretty good sense for what your average guy is interested in, and that's sort of what we try and offer.
"I think what we do appeals to some women . . . but our target is someone who thinks like a 20-to 40-year-old male. I've got a friend that's 65 years old and he loves all the stuff we're doing because he thinks like that demographic."
Ayre must be doing something right. He has taken a word that has no meaning - he made Bodog up - and turned it into an empire.
While Bodog Fight is a small player in an MMA world dominated by the UFC, Ayre sees fighting as adding to the Bodog "Work Hard, Play Harder" lifestyle - especially since the sport has mushroomed in popularity in recent months.
"It changes the way people look at what Bodog represents and then, on top of that, it does definitely drive (website) traffic," he says. "No question."
Ayre has shifted his base from Costa Rica to Antigua, but says he has been living on the road since February.
He's used to it.
"I don't forget where I am, but I've found what has happened is I don't really feel like I'm travelling any more," he says. "It's kind of a weird thing.
"My sense of what is home almost extends to the whole planet right now. I don't know if that makes any sense. The only time I feel like I'm not home is when I happen to end up in a country that for whatever reason I don't like it, but most of the countries I go to - like Europe and Asia, Southeast Asia or Latin America - I feel very comfortable there."
A laptop sits on a nearby desk. His travelling home, a bag with wheels, sits nearby.
"That's what I call my road office - that bag," he says. "Other than being in hotel rooms, it never leaves my sight when I'm moving.
"I don't let anybody touch it because that thing allows me to keep my business going."
He works the technology from dusk to dawn.
"I'm scared to go anywhere that doesn't have Internet access," he says.
Ayre says he has spent only two weeks in Canada during the last year. His family is mostly in British Columbia, and he uses technology to stay in touch - e-mail, video and pictures.
"I really like Canada and the thing that I like about Canada the most is that it's got a very trusting culture," he says. "What's interesting is that, when I travel around the world, everyone likes Canadians, too.
"We actually have a very good reputation."
Still, he may not be that welcome in the United States given what he does for a living. Ayre, however, says he has been given legal opinions that he can set foot in the U.S. without threat of legal action, but he has no plans to go there any time soon.
"All my business is focused in Europe right now so I've actually got no reason to go there, and that's going to stay that way until the climate there is more interested in our sector," he says.
Ayre says his business doesn't target U.S. audiences, meaning it doesn't advertise its services there, and he believes the pendulum on militancy against online gambling is beginning to go the other way in the U.S.
"Americans have a history of trying to ban stuff," he says. "That's sort of in their culture.
"Remember prohibition with the alcohol? At the same time, human nature being what it is, you essentially can't really ban things that people want to do, even if it's bad for them.
"People keep doing them anyway and, in the case of gambling, since they're already in the gambling business anyways, you just know that eventually they're going to say, 'We can't stop this so we might as well be collecting the taxes in our country instead of letting all the international companies make all of the money."'
Bodog does not block wagers other than from Canada, a decision Ayre made early on in the business. That may change.
"We actually are getting a legal opinion right now to see whether or not we can open up the Canadian market," he says.
Ayre uses himself to sell the Bodog lifestyle. He's usually seen on his TV fight show watching the action while surrounded by a bevy of women. It's cheesy but probably appeals to his target demographic.
He's single and says he has no steady.
"Interestingly enough, you'd be amazed at how many girls actually like that," he says. "They actually don't want boyfriends either."
He clearly likes to play up the playboy side of his life.
"I let the girls have their way with me once in a while if they approach it properly," he says slyly.
Still, he insists there's more to him than just the good life.
"I'm a much more complex person and my life is a lot more complicated than that," he says. "That's a snapshot, but I do a lot of other stuff, too, including charity work.
"I work long hours. Actually, I work every day but, for sure, I'm always surrounded by girls."
His profile has grown to the point where he lists off cities where he is recognized: Atlanta, Berlin, Saigon, Manila.
The billionaire tag made life in Costa Rica dangerous, he says, with the threat of kidnapping. Bulletproof Hummers and bodyguards were de rigeur.
"There's a lot of guns there in Costa Rica," he says. "They do have a crime problem there."
Black-suited bodyguards look good on TV, he acknowledged - less so in real life.
"It's somebody looking over your shoulder. It's not that much fun."
Celebrity has its good and bad points.
"The girls are great . . . there's hassles to it as well. You know, it's not all fun."
Ayre says he's not one for toys, although a recent blog entry has him enthusing about a Maserati automobile.
"I like them but I wouldn't say I'm a fanatic for buying stuff," he said of expensive toys. "I can take them or leave them. It's not why I exist."
The problem with toys is "you can't fit them in your suitcase."
But don't look for Ayre in steerage. He travels either first class or by charter.
"We sort of mix it up depending on what makes the most sense," he explains. "I actually bought myself a jet as well but I don't get delivery on it until 2009."
How much does a jet cost?
"Well this one (Dassault Falcon 7X) one was quite expensive - $40 million."
"The girls," he says. "Without any doubt. "Anybody that says anything other than that has got to be lying." It's an answer Ayre's target audience at Bodog.com would appreciate.
"We're in gambling, fighting and music," Ayre told The Canadian Press in an interview at a downtown hotel Tuesday. "Those are very primeval areas of interest that I think you will find are attractive in any culture on the planet."
The combination has made the native of Lloydminster, Sask., a wealthy man with online gambling leading the way. His goal is to spread Bodog around the globe by using the Internet and television to sell his brand.
Forbes magazine put him on the cover of its billionaires issue in March 2006. It's a nice place to be, standing next to the words: "The richest people in the world."
Ayre was suddenly the poster boy for big bucks.
He didn't make this year's list, but says that was only because given the current anti-online gambling stance of U.S. authorities, he was not willing to share the kind of information the magazine wanted.
"They thought I was worthy of the list when my revenues were $200 million (US)," he said of Forbes. "The next year my revenues were $300 million and I'm not on the list because they said that in their opinion I didn't have as much money.
"When your revenues go up by 50 per cent, you certainly feel like you're richer," he added with a laugh.
In 2005, Bodog.com took US$7.3 billion in online wagers. Last year, the figure was "over 10 (billion) for sure," he said.
Ayre, 46, won't call online gambling the core of his business, labelling it rather "the financial engine."
"Everything's about getting traffic to websites," he explained.
New Bodog routes include mixed martial arts through Bodog Fight, shown in Canada on The Fight Network, and music via Bodog music.
Ayre says he got into MMA because he likes the sport. But it also fits into his demographic, adding to the lifestyle he is trying to sell.
"A lot of the stuff that we do is sort of instinctual, he says. "I consider myself to be sort of a typical consumer.
"I look at stuff and think, 'Well I like that.' After playing hockey for many many years and hanging out with guys, particularly North Americans, I think I have a pretty good sense for what your average guy is interested in, and that's sort of what we try and offer.
"I think what we do appeals to some women . . . but our target is someone who thinks like a 20-to 40-year-old male. I've got a friend that's 65 years old and he loves all the stuff we're doing because he thinks like that demographic."
Ayre must be doing something right. He has taken a word that has no meaning - he made Bodog up - and turned it into an empire.
While Bodog Fight is a small player in an MMA world dominated by the UFC, Ayre sees fighting as adding to the Bodog "Work Hard, Play Harder" lifestyle - especially since the sport has mushroomed in popularity in recent months.
"It changes the way people look at what Bodog represents and then, on top of that, it does definitely drive (website) traffic," he says. "No question."
Ayre has shifted his base from Costa Rica to Antigua, but says he has been living on the road since February.
He's used to it.
"I don't forget where I am, but I've found what has happened is I don't really feel like I'm travelling any more," he says. "It's kind of a weird thing.
"My sense of what is home almost extends to the whole planet right now. I don't know if that makes any sense. The only time I feel like I'm not home is when I happen to end up in a country that for whatever reason I don't like it, but most of the countries I go to - like Europe and Asia, Southeast Asia or Latin America - I feel very comfortable there."
A laptop sits on a nearby desk. His travelling home, a bag with wheels, sits nearby.
"That's what I call my road office - that bag," he says. "Other than being in hotel rooms, it never leaves my sight when I'm moving.
"I don't let anybody touch it because that thing allows me to keep my business going."
He works the technology from dusk to dawn.
"I'm scared to go anywhere that doesn't have Internet access," he says.
Ayre says he has spent only two weeks in Canada during the last year. His family is mostly in British Columbia, and he uses technology to stay in touch - e-mail, video and pictures.
"I really like Canada and the thing that I like about Canada the most is that it's got a very trusting culture," he says. "What's interesting is that, when I travel around the world, everyone likes Canadians, too.
"We actually have a very good reputation."
Still, he may not be that welcome in the United States given what he does for a living. Ayre, however, says he has been given legal opinions that he can set foot in the U.S. without threat of legal action, but he has no plans to go there any time soon.
"All my business is focused in Europe right now so I've actually got no reason to go there, and that's going to stay that way until the climate there is more interested in our sector," he says.
Ayre says his business doesn't target U.S. audiences, meaning it doesn't advertise its services there, and he believes the pendulum on militancy against online gambling is beginning to go the other way in the U.S.
"Americans have a history of trying to ban stuff," he says. "That's sort of in their culture.
"Remember prohibition with the alcohol? At the same time, human nature being what it is, you essentially can't really ban things that people want to do, even if it's bad for them.
"People keep doing them anyway and, in the case of gambling, since they're already in the gambling business anyways, you just know that eventually they're going to say, 'We can't stop this so we might as well be collecting the taxes in our country instead of letting all the international companies make all of the money."'
Bodog does not block wagers other than from Canada, a decision Ayre made early on in the business. That may change.
"We actually are getting a legal opinion right now to see whether or not we can open up the Canadian market," he says.
Ayre uses himself to sell the Bodog lifestyle. He's usually seen on his TV fight show watching the action while surrounded by a bevy of women. It's cheesy but probably appeals to his target demographic.
He's single and says he has no steady.
"Interestingly enough, you'd be amazed at how many girls actually like that," he says. "They actually don't want boyfriends either."
He clearly likes to play up the playboy side of his life.
"I let the girls have their way with me once in a while if they approach it properly," he says slyly.
Still, he insists there's more to him than just the good life.
"I'm a much more complex person and my life is a lot more complicated than that," he says. "That's a snapshot, but I do a lot of other stuff, too, including charity work.
"I work long hours. Actually, I work every day but, for sure, I'm always surrounded by girls."
His profile has grown to the point where he lists off cities where he is recognized: Atlanta, Berlin, Saigon, Manila.
The billionaire tag made life in Costa Rica dangerous, he says, with the threat of kidnapping. Bulletproof Hummers and bodyguards were de rigeur.
"There's a lot of guns there in Costa Rica," he says. "They do have a crime problem there."
Black-suited bodyguards look good on TV, he acknowledged - less so in real life.
"It's somebody looking over your shoulder. It's not that much fun."
Celebrity has its good and bad points.
"The girls are great . . . there's hassles to it as well. You know, it's not all fun."
Ayre says he's not one for toys, although a recent blog entry has him enthusing about a Maserati automobile.
"I like them but I wouldn't say I'm a fanatic for buying stuff," he said of expensive toys. "I can take them or leave them. It's not why I exist."
The problem with toys is "you can't fit them in your suitcase."
But don't look for Ayre in steerage. He travels either first class or by charter.
"We sort of mix it up depending on what makes the most sense," he explains. "I actually bought myself a jet as well but I don't get delivery on it until 2009."
How much does a jet cost?
"Well this one (Dassault Falcon 7X) one was quite expensive - $40 million."