[Jack Schitt]

Just watching the news... OIJ is at his house ??? making arrests

[DamianDunlap]

what, why?

[bigboydan]

i was about ready to ask the same thing Damian.

[datek23]

Here is some info on him


Banned city promoter makes Forbes list
Click here to find out more!



David Baines, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, March 10, 2006

Former Vancouver stock promoter-***-Internet gambling czar Calvin Ayre, who is still serving a 20-year stock market ban in B.C., has made headlines again, this time in Forbes magazine's annual list of billionaires.

Ayre, now based in San Jose, Costa Rica, but still a frequent visitor to Vancouver, is ranked 746th among the world's billionaires, tied with 48 other people who just made the cut-off with a reported net worth of $1 billion US.

In first and second place are the perennial leaders, computer whiz Bill Gates of Microsoft with a net worth of $50 billion US and investment star Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway with $42 billion US.

Ayre, however, has the distinction of being pictured on the magazine's cover with an inside story entitled, Catch Me if You Can, referring to the cat-and-mouse game he and his Costa Rican-based Internet gambling empire, Bodog.com, plays with U.S. Justice Department officials who contend that Internet gambling is illegal.

So far, however, Ayre, a native of Lloydminster, Sask., has stayed just out of reach of U.S. authorities.

His principal residence is a 10,000-square-foot, custom-built mansion in San Jose, but he told The Vancouver Sun last month that he returns to Vancouver about once a month.

"Bodog has no physical presence in the U.S., Ayre is not an American citizen, and the extraterritorial reach of U.S. law is not clear. Ayre, at any rate, has no assets in the U.S. for the G-men to seize," Forbes says in its article.

Ayre does, however, have numerous business interests in the Lower Mainland. His firm owns Riptown Media, a Yaletown software development firm that employs 200 graphic designers and computer programmers to provide advertising support for Bodog's gambling operation.

Bodog or related entities also own three penthouse apartments in Vancouver, and Ayre earlier told The Sun he owns 150 acres of farmland in the Fraser Valley, with six homes rented out or used by staff who run the property.

The magazine says that Ayre likes to be seen with attractive women and is driven around San Jose in a black Hummer by a chauffeur who was trained as a sniper in the Canadian military and served in Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ayre says he needs this sort of security to deter would-be kidnappers.

The source of all this extravagance is Bodog, which by all reports, is a cash cow.

"Last year the privately held Bodog handled $7.3 billion [US] in online wagers, triple the volume of 2004," Forbes reports in its article.

"Ayre says all this betting gave him sales of $210 million, and that he took 26 per cent of the revenue to the bottom line. What's his business worth? Two similar ventures that are publicly traded [in Europe] go for well over 18 times trailing earnings. At that multiple, Bodog, along with other assets, gives Ayre a net worth of at least $1 billion."

Ayre worked as stock promoter in Vancouver in the early 1990s and came under B.C. Securities Commission investigation for his stewardship of Bicer Medical Systems Ltd., which was promoting an artificial heart valve.

In September 1996, Ayre admitted he breached an undertaking not to deal with convicted felon Erich Brunnhuber; misrepresented various aspects of the company's affairs; caused Bicer to issue hundreds of thousands of shares to him or a nominee, without paying for them first; traded millions of shares without disclosing those trades on insider reports; ignored a summons issued by commission investigators; then lied to investigators.

He agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty and not to trade stock, or serve as an officer or director, or act in an investor-relations capacity for any B.C. public company for 20 years. The suspension is still in force.

Asked earlier whether Costa Rica, where Bodog's gambling business is licensed, did a background check on him, Ayre told The Sun: "I assume they did, but this is not like getting a gaming licence in Nevada."

[Dark Horse]

Looks like the Costa Rica authorities want a little piece of the pie?

[Sean]

Here are links to the article appearing this morning on "al Dia" ...

ORIGINAL (Spanish)

TRANSLATED (poorly into English)

Anyone with better translation skills, please free to provide a cleaner English version of this article ... I'm fairly certain that portions of this article have not translated correctly ... i.e. - "The Court of Turkeys"?

[datek23]

Here are links to the article appearing this morning on "al Dia" ...

ORIGINAL (Spanish)

TRANSLATED (poorly into English)

Anyone with better translation skills, please free to provide a cleaner English version of this article ... I'm fairly certain that portions of this article have not translated correctly ... i.e. - "The Court of Turkeys"?

Heres is what I gathered, I believed it was related to a stock fraud and not online gambling or they might have doing a show that was being air in the USA. I guess he has a long history of being devious in the stock market and the police and feds went after him. If that is the case, As Enron and Mathra Stewart and many others, jail and prison time is almost certain for him. Sucks to in his position. This is what I gathered from that poorly written English Article.

[JoshW]

No idea but heard it had to do with poker, but with that many agents doubt that is all of it.

[MrX]

The Canadian is investigated in the Court of Turkeys by, supposedly, to infringe the Law of Play.

The Court of Turkeys?

Just what kind of country are you guys running down there?

[MidasPalace]

I suspect that this is just another host. I find it hard to believe anything pertaining to a man who admittedly created a phony persona (Cole Turner), and spread many sensational (yet false) stories about himself for the sake of publicity (being abducted by Cambodian rebels).

It is also highly unlikely that this has anything to do with his previous insider trading charges. He has already gone to court over this long ago. He has paid the fine. What else is there for them to go after?

[Jose]

This is my translation for thoses who are interesting

Valle del Sol, Santa Ana. - The house of the multimillionaire Calvin Ayre, in Santa Ana, was swarm yesterday at 6:35 p.m. by the Office of the public prosecutor of Fast Proceeding and the section of frauds of the OIJ.

The Canadian is investigated by, supposedly, infringing the Law of Games in Costa Rica. In addition, He has to appear Monday in Costa Rica government Court.

Ayre appears in position 746 of the list of richest of the world, according to the Forbes magazine. He is the owner of Www.bodog.com "sportbook", that the last year processed 1 million daily bets and it generated gains to him of $200 million (¢100 billion).

The authorities took evidence related to the poker game, among them computers, documents and arms. In addition, five people with migratory problems were removed from the house by police of Migration.

During the police action, three public prosecutors participated, one judge, three officials of the K-9 unit, four officials of the Police of Migration, around 15 officials of the OIJ (of the sections of computer science and drugs) 30 officials of the Public Force, and about 10 officials of the Immediate Intervention Police Service (SPII)

Ayre or any of their legal representatives did not want to talk about the situation.

At any moment he remained surrounded by his bodyguards and some models that participated in the shooting of the special one of poker.

The Public Ministry is conceited that there is a situation of illegal game, and for that reason the Court acceded to execute the police action.

At the time of the legal action, within the luxurious house there were than 100 people, recording more a poker program that would be transmitted by the American Company Sport Fox.

The police surrounded the house; include the back of the house, where a bus with members of the Public Force was located.

At 9:30 p.m. the authorities finished with the judicial diligence.

Without celebration

Apparently in the residence a celebration with Costa Rican and foreign models was being prepared, including the delivery of a big pay check included.

The welcome entry to the house had great lamps, with red carpet including and decoration with tropical flowers. In front of the house there was great unfolding of production equipment, moving bodies of television and cameras. The backyard was totally illuminated.

[JoshW]

911 is reporting he wasn't arrested and that shooting of his show wasn't disrupted as was wrap party.

[Bill Dozer]

Local media gets it wrong a lot the first time. A few months ago the news was reporting that a major sportsbook was closing and many jobs were lost. It turned out to be a small online pharmacy.

[MrX]

The authorities confiscated evidence related to the play of poker, among them computers, documents and weapons.

Wow. Tough game I guess.

[David]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060311/...arica_ayre_col

[JC]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060311/...arica_ayre_col

That's great spin! I have to say what an outstanding PR team. Does the local CR Reuters correspondent attend all of his parties or just a few?

[pags11]

definitely not good for bodog's rep here...