Bodog Exits US Market; Bovada Enters

Bodog officially exited the USA market this week, ending a run of over a decade as one of the most prominent gambling brand names in the United States. However, Bodog’s  US customers were quickly transferred to a new site, creating a smooth transition for Americans with Bodog accounts.

The transition comes after a busy year for Bodog. In July, Bodog earned a UK operating license, presenting Bodog with the opportunity to run a site exclusively for UK players, as well as sites for overseas players that will be regulated by London. However, as part of this movie, Bodog also planned to comply with US law by ceasing operations inside the country. This was simple enough to accomplish, as Bodog simply decided not to renew its licensing agreement with the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG), which held the rights to use the Bodog name in the United States.

However, this did not mean that Bodog customers in the USA would be out of luck. Instead, MMGG quickly announced that they would continue providing services to their customers with as limited an interruption of service as possible.

The move was going to requiring a rebranding, which was finally accomplished this week with the launch of MMGG’s new site, Bovada.lv. The new name was likely chosen due to its similarity to the original Bodog name, as well as the lv domain level, which – while it is officially tied to Latvia – may imply a connection to Las Vegas in the minds of players.

American players have nothing to worry about if they had existing Bodog accounts. All players have had their account balances and information transferred automatically to the Bovada site, which is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada.