A new era in British Columbia sport will begin March 1 when Scott Ackles is announced as the chief executive officer of the B.C. Sport Agency.
It is part of an overhaul in the province's sport system in the wake of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Ackles was the general manager of Vancouver's 2005 and 2011 Grey Cup festivals and replaces interim B.C. Sport Agency CEO Cathy Priestner Allinger, the Own the Podium blueprint author and VANOC executive vice-president of sport who was named last August to head of Vancouver's 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games.
Ackles effectively becomes the most powerful executive in amateur sport in B.C. Former VANOC sport vice-president Tim Gayda has left his post as Sport BC CEO to be a consultant. Gayda's position will not be filled.
Sport BC and the B.C. Sport Agency will be working in concert for the betterment of sport in the province. The B.C. Sport Agency takes over management of programs that were under the wings of 2010 Legacies Now, such as the Aboriginal Youth Sport Legacy Fund and First Nations Snowboard Team. The former 2010 Legacies Now group rebranded as Lift Philanthropy Partners.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Battle for Bodog
I have had Bodog on my radar for more than seven years, as Calvin Ayre's Vancouver-founded online gambling company has very publicly targeted gamblers in North America despite federal laws to the contrary. The Americans enforce theirs, Canada doesn't.
Here is my 2005 feature from the Vancouver Courier.
Bodog has been, in one word, dynamic. It branched out into mixed martial arts events and a record label. Ayre operated secretly in Vancouver before remaking himself in the image of Richard Branson and Donald Trump: a celebrity, jet-setting CEO through which others may live vicariously. It took until 2010 before many in the Canadian media took notice. Here is CTV's W5 profile on Ayre and Alwyn Morris, the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic gold medallist who is behind Bodog operations on the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve near Montreal.
Bodog was a sponsor of the 2011 Grey Cup in Vancouver, Canada's biggest annual, one-day sporting event -- under the guise of its dot-net "educational" and "free-to-play" website. The online gambling industry's dot-net sites are thinly veiled, yet vital promotional tools for the revenue-generating, dot-com websites.
The Grey Cup also receives federal and provincial subsidies. Yes, the same federal government which banned gambling (and the promotion of gambling) in the Criminal Code unless it is operated and/or licensed by a provincial government monopoly. See sections 206 and 207. In British Columbia, the B.C. Lottery Corporation's PlayNow.com is the only legal avenue (though it is still banned from taking bets on the outcome of single sporting events).
Here is academic background on the Legalization of Gambling in Canada.
In the fall of 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act. Since then, U.S. authorities have methodically picked-off online gambling outfits that target Americans. It was a matter of when, not if, Bodog would become the target. That finally happened Feb. 27 when the U.S. District Court in Maryland authorized seizure of the Bodog domain. The company, Ayre, James Philip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney were also indicted on charges of carrying on a gambling business and conspiracy to launder money.
The whereabouts of the accused are not known, but a statement on Ayre's website says:
Ayre, ever the smooth operator, has constructed a complex web and in late 2011 even launched a whole new gambling site, called Bovada. (Get it? BOdog, neVADA?)
The question has to be asked: what is the U.S. government's end game?
Is it simply enforcing laws against unregulated gambling on moral grounds? Wherever gambling goes, the risk of crime seems to follow. There are also very real and reasonable concerns about gambling addiction. Teenage boys, who were weaned on video games and are passionate about pro sports celebrities, are particularly susceptible to online gambling. The CBC documentary Gambling Boys is enlightening. McGill University's Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky is the foremost researcher on youth gambling trends. Here is his presentation to a 2009 conference in Singapore.
Or is the U.S. government playing catch-up with technology in a bid to ensure all forms of gambling available to American citizens can be regulated and taxed? The U.S. is a major debtor and grabbing a piece of the gambling pie has been bandied about as a means of mopping up the red ink.
The U.S. government's website seizure and indictment notices against Bodog are below. This will be one of the biggest sports business stories of 2012.
Bodog Website Seizure Warrant
Bodog Indictment
Here is my 2005 feature from the Vancouver Courier.
Bodog has been, in one word, dynamic. It branched out into mixed martial arts events and a record label. Ayre operated secretly in Vancouver before remaking himself in the image of Richard Branson and Donald Trump: a celebrity, jet-setting CEO through which others may live vicariously. It took until 2010 before many in the Canadian media took notice. Here is CTV's W5 profile on Ayre and Alwyn Morris, the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic gold medallist who is behind Bodog operations on the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve near Montreal.
Bodog was a sponsor of the 2011 Grey Cup in Vancouver, Canada's biggest annual, one-day sporting event -- under the guise of its dot-net "educational" and "free-to-play" website. The online gambling industry's dot-net sites are thinly veiled, yet vital promotional tools for the revenue-generating, dot-com websites.
The Grey Cup also receives federal and provincial subsidies. Yes, the same federal government which banned gambling (and the promotion of gambling) in the Criminal Code unless it is operated and/or licensed by a provincial government monopoly. See sections 206 and 207. In British Columbia, the B.C. Lottery Corporation's PlayNow.com is the only legal avenue (though it is still banned from taking bets on the outcome of single sporting events).
Here is academic background on the Legalization of Gambling in Canada.
In the fall of 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act. Since then, U.S. authorities have methodically picked-off online gambling outfits that target Americans. It was a matter of when, not if, Bodog would become the target. That finally happened Feb. 27 when the U.S. District Court in Maryland authorized seizure of the Bodog domain. The company, Ayre, James Philip, David Ferguson and Derrick Maloney were also indicted on charges of carrying on a gambling business and conspiracy to launder money.
The whereabouts of the accused are not known, but a statement on Ayre's website says:
“I see this as abuse of the U.S. criminal justice system for the commercial gain of large U.S. corporations. It is clear that the online gaming industry is legal under international law and in the case of these documents is it also clear that the rule of law was not allowed to slow down a rush to try to win the war of public opinion... it will not stop my many business interests globally that are unrelated to anything in the U.S. and it will not stop my many charity projects through my foundation."
Ayre, ever the smooth operator, has constructed a complex web and in late 2011 even launched a whole new gambling site, called Bovada. (Get it? BOdog, neVADA?)
The question has to be asked: what is the U.S. government's end game?
Is it simply enforcing laws against unregulated gambling on moral grounds? Wherever gambling goes, the risk of crime seems to follow. There are also very real and reasonable concerns about gambling addiction. Teenage boys, who were weaned on video games and are passionate about pro sports celebrities, are particularly susceptible to online gambling. The CBC documentary Gambling Boys is enlightening. McGill University's Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky is the foremost researcher on youth gambling trends. Here is his presentation to a 2009 conference in Singapore.
Or is the U.S. government playing catch-up with technology in a bid to ensure all forms of gambling available to American citizens can be regulated and taxed? The U.S. is a major debtor and grabbing a piece of the gambling pie has been bandied about as a means of mopping up the red ink.
The U.S. government's website seizure and indictment notices against Bodog are below. This will be one of the biggest sports business stories of 2012.
Bodog Website Seizure Warrant
Bodog Indictment
Monday, February 27, 2012
Gaglardi coy about Stars, doesn't dismiss a Canucks deal
Tom Gaglardi is the newest owner in the National Hockey League, having bought the Dallas Stars in last fall's bankruptcy auction. The president of Vancouver's Northland Properties, and majority owner of the Western Hockey League's Kamloops Blazers, lost a bitter court battle with Francesco Aquilini for the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena in 2008.
During a morning interview on Feb. 27, I tried to get hints about whether the Stars would be buying or selling players before the trade deadline.
"I don't really know, our team's core and our best players are our young guys in their 20s... We're listening to a lot of teams, teams pursuing some of our assets. If we can make our team better, then we might do something. We need to get better on the ice and build around our young core of guys.
"We like our team, it's kind of a disappointing middle frame of the season. But we've won four in a row and played the way we always thought we could. It wouldn't surprise us to do very little, if not nothing, by this afternoon."
Could there be a deal with the Vancouver Canucks?
"Oh, sure, Joe (Nieuwendyk) talks to every general manager in the league, i know he talks to Mike Gillis regularly as well. It's as possible as any team in the NHL."
During a morning interview on Feb. 27, I tried to get hints about whether the Stars would be buying or selling players before the trade deadline.
"I don't really know, our team's core and our best players are our young guys in their 20s... We're listening to a lot of teams, teams pursuing some of our assets. If we can make our team better, then we might do something. We need to get better on the ice and build around our young core of guys.
"We like our team, it's kind of a disappointing middle frame of the season. But we've won four in a row and played the way we always thought we could. It wouldn't surprise us to do very little, if not nothing, by this afternoon."
Could there be a deal with the Vancouver Canucks?
"Oh, sure, Joe (Nieuwendyk) talks to every general manager in the league, i know he talks to Mike Gillis regularly as well. It's as possible as any team in the NHL."
Sunday, February 5, 2012
NFL juggernaut touches down in Vancouver
The roof of B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver was lit with New York Giants' blue after the Tom Coughlin-coached squad completed the second most impressive end of a season in football on this continent by winning Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. (The Grey Cup champion B.C. Lions had an even better comeback season.)
In Vancouver, the National Football League's marketing juggernaut (driven by Bud Light) took over the Commodore Ballroom, where the big game was screened. Team 1040's Scott Rintoul hosted the event with special guests like Oakland Raiders' wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (right) and Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (below), the brother of Canadian Football League legend Damon Allen. (Photos: Ryan Harris)
Members of the Seattle Seahawks' SeaGals performed and the Sheepdogs of Saskatoon rocked.
There was even a spotting of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics women's skicross gold medallist Ashleigh McIvor.
In Vancouver, the National Football League's marketing juggernaut (driven by Bud Light) took over the Commodore Ballroom, where the big game was screened. Team 1040's Scott Rintoul hosted the event with special guests like Oakland Raiders' wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (right) and Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (below), the brother of Canadian Football League legend Damon Allen. (Photos: Ryan Harris)
Members of the Seattle Seahawks' SeaGals performed and the Sheepdogs of Saskatoon rocked.
There was even a spotting of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics women's skicross gold medallist Ashleigh McIvor.
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