Meet BodogBecky, BodogBrand.com's New Forum Persona

“BodogBecky” here, please allow me to introduce myself.   My name is Rebecca Liggero and I come to you after five years of igaming industry experience with Casino City, a brief stint with Everest Gaming somewhere in between, and as of August 1, 2009, I joined the Antiguan based BodogBrand.com as the Global Bodog Brand Ambassador.   In this new role I am working very closely with the big man himself, the Bodog brand founder, creator, and branding genius, Calvin Ayre.   Under Calvin’s direction, I am representing the Bodog brand and spreading its message throughout the world in person and serving the igaming world online as "BodogBecky," a catchy nickname to capture my role in the forums.   In fact, Calvin actually coined this phrase back in May 2009 and immediately secured it throughout the web before I actually took the job.   “Just in case”, he liked to say.   Now how is that for some amazing foresight?

Actually, Calvin’s amazing foresight goes far beyond securing “BodogBecky” prior to my BodogBrand.com employment”¦keeping the Bodog brand name was the very smart decision on his part.   Many people do not realize that Calvin sold the entire Bodog.com infrastructure and business to Alwyn Morris of the Mohawk Morris Gaming Group (MMGG) following the passage of the UIGEA, right around the same time the publicly traded igaming companies pulled out of the US market.   However, Calvin retained all the rights to Bodog brand itself, choosing to instead license it back to MMGG for marketing purposes.   Now, through BodogBrand.com, the brand is licensed to a world-class group of licensees and they’re always looking for new potential licensees that fit the “Bodog brand” bill.

At present, there are four distinct (and separately licensed) Bodog brand licensees for online gaming:   the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (which operates www.bodog.com) , Bodog Europe (which operates www.bodog.co.uk and www.bodog.ca ), Haydock Entertainment (which operates www.bodog88.com) and most recently www.BodogNetwork.com, the industry’s newest poker network that’s being led by Patrik Selin, industry veteran and former CEO of both Ongame poker network and Pokerroom.com.   The new Bodog-branded poker network will secure white label deals with other approved operators beginning in 2010, but Patrik cleverly pre-signed all three existing brand licensees to ensure instant liquidity out of the gate.

I realize this is a lot if licensing and branding information that many players, igaming affiliates and industry professionals are not aware of.   When information about Bodog is posted in igaming forums, under the forum handle of “BodogBecky”, I will confirm, correct, and answer based on my personal knowledge of what’s happening in Bodog world.   I only work for the branding organization, but I’ll also act as a liaison between the customers and the Bodog brand licensee decision makers when I can – meaning, if a player or affiliate requires assistance beyond the customer service team, I can provide factual assistance very quickly.   I aim to clarify and to provide facts for the customer and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll figure out how to get it.

I also aim to entertain, which is why I have accepted another role as Rebecca Liggero under Calvin Ayre’s direction (and along side of him) as an on-site reporter, content generator and recurring character for CalvinAyre.com, Calvin’s current media venture.   For BodogBrand.com, Calvin helps to identify and assess potential licensees in addition to providing global branding assistance and direction to the Bodog group of licensees when requested.

Calvin is also involved with launching media ventures that support the iGaming industry in general, hence the vision and upcoming launch of CalvinAyre.com.   So what is CalvinAyre.com? It is the industry’s first and only igaming “tablog”, a pro-industry tabloidish blog which will include Calvin’s personal blog mixed with igaming news and information, event reporting, recurring characters and personalities, picture galleries, videos, and “Ayre Heads”.   My involvement may not involve “Ayre head” status, but it does involve filming, photographing, and writing about conferences, various igaming events and joining Calvin on his wild adventures throughout the world.   Actually, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to start following my whacky life adventures, and Calvin’s too, on CalvinAyre.com when it is launched in the fall.

After all, we just want to have fun, talk sh*t, and entertain you”¦