Bodog Poker Withdraws From 20 More Countries

Over the weekend, Bodog customers across Eastern Europe and parts of Asia were left confused after being informed by email that the company would soon cease processing transactions in their areas and advising them to withdraw their money as soon as possible. As the email read:
“We recommend that you withdraw any balance you may have in your account by 30 August 2012. Minimum withdrawal amount is $/€/£10. After 30 August, we will adjust your balance to 0 to protect your funds. To withdraw your balance after 30 August, you will need to contact customer service at service@bodog.co.uk.”
Amongst the 20 countries affected by Bodog´s announcement are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Understandably, Bodog customers in these countries reacted with concern at the surprise news, leading to much speculation on the poker forums as to the reason behind the sudden move. Possible explanation touted on the 2+2 forum included Bodog Poker having problems with its payment processors, and the EU Gaming Commission failing to approve Bodog leading to the company exiting Europe or shutting down completely.
Eventually, a statement from Bodog’s Brand Ambassador “b-dogBecky” was released on the 2+2 forum in order to quosh false rumors, with another appearing in eGR magazine, stating: “We feel it is better to concentrate on our strengths & where we can offer the best product. The Bodog brand is known for its high level of customer service & spreading ourselves too thinly to try and cover a huge amount of smaller markets was proving logistically difficult. Bodog.co.uk will concentrate on growing existing markets.”
This would strongly suggest Bodog will continue concentrating strongly on its unregulated Asian operation, while the company was keen to point out that Bodog UK still holds a 5 years license for the UK market. The statement also noted that Bodog branded gambling sites hadn’t accepted US customers since December, although, ironically, Bovada.lv which looks like a twin of the other Bodog sites continues to do so stateside.