Bodog has announced that it is rebranding to Bovada for players in the United States. The new site, Bovada.lv, is expected to launch Dec. 14, at 11 a.m. EST, hosted on a domain that conjures images of Las Vegas, perhaps in anticipation of Nevada’s upcoming intrastate online poker regulation.
According to a press release:
"Following the Bodog Brand’s decision to withdraw the brand from the U.S. market as announced earlier this year, as of today (Dec. 14, 2011) the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG) will no longer operate under the Bodog name.
Whilst MMGG’s brand licensing agreement does not formally expire until Dec. 31, as from today, U.S. residents will no longer be able to access bodog.eu or any other Bodog branded website.
We understand MMGG will now operate under its new brand, Bovada, at the following website: www.bovada.lv, such domain being given to MMGG pursuant to its rights on expiry of the licensing agreement.
The Bodog brand is confident MMGG’s customer account information and funds will continue to remain safe and secure, as it has done since MMGG entered its original agreement with the Bodog Brand in 2006 and we would like to wish MMGG the greatest success in its new venture."
The rebranding doesn’t come as much of a surprise as the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, which has been the Bodog licensee for the US since 2006, announced in July that the Bodog name would not be available after 2012.
Existing Bodog players will be moved to the new site and have been informed of the move; in fact, users have already taken to TwoPlusTwo to discuss Bovada. User “pokerbrute” even posted an email he received from Bodog support:
Bodog.eu is Changing
Dear xxxxxxxx,
Bodog.eu is changing — New Name, New Look, Same Great Service
The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group’s ("MMGG") brand licensing agreement with the Bodog Brand is expiring at the end of this year and as a result MMGG will no longer be offering its services using the bodog name or from the website, bodog.eu.
From today, December 14th, MMGG will continue to operate as it has for over 4 years, just under its new name, BOVADA, at www. bovada.lv
Your account and balance has automatically been transferred to the new website and you are able to log in to the site using your existing account details and password.
PLEASE NOTE: As part of the transition process, there will be a scheduled outage overnight to both the old and new websites. We expect Bovada.lv to be live by 11:00 am ET on December 14th, 2011.
If you have any questions regarding your account or the new brand we ask that you contact the customer service team directly at 1-888-263-0000 or service @bovada.lv.
We hope you enjoy the new site!
Sincerely,
Bodog.eu
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