Calvin Ayre, the rebellious CEO of Bodog, announced his retirement yesterday in a statement issued by the company and posted at bodoglife.com. Ayre will not only be giving up the CEO position but will also be releasing operational control of company. It is not clear how this announcement will effect the future of Bodog; however, it is assumed that the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group will now take an even larger role in the daily operations of the company than before.

Ayre was never just a run of the mill CEO. His Playboy ways and seemingly fearless attitude, in an often times hostile political climate, appeared reckless to some and heroic to others. It has even been suggested that past controversial media comments and blatant mainstream advertising brought so much undue attention to online gambling that it left authorities with little choice but to respond to a problem that they probably would have preferred just ignoring. As a result, Ayre has often been accused of further exasperating an already tense situation for American online gamblers.

The Ayre name (like Trump, Hefner, or Hughes) was often as big as his company's, and despite any past criticisms or controversies, it is clear that many fans of Bodog will miss having this flamboyant, wild man behind the wheel of their beloved Bodog.

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