The Bodog online gambling empire continues to crumble. On Thursday, I received an e-mail from a reader who said Fiver Media (formerly Riptown Media), which provides marketing and website support for Bodog from offices in Vancouver and Toronto, had just laid off more than 200 people.
Gambling911.com, a Florida-based website that focuses on the online gambling industry, similarly reported that Bodog, "under intense scrutiny by the U.S. Government, has laid off hundreds of its employees this week, leading to speculation that the online gambling firm will be leaving the U.S. market."
If Bodog abandons the United States, it may as well fold its tent. It isn't licensed to do business in Europe, and it doesn't do business in Canada -- most likely because the last online gambling firm to operate in Canada, Vancouver's Starnet International Communications Inc., was shut down by the RCMP.
That leaves only the United States market, which is evaporating quickly. U.S. authorities have been exerting heavy pressure on all online gambling firms that take bets from U.S. citizens, including Bodog.