SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Today, Bodog.com announced a
deal with Spike TV for a made-for-TV special produced by Bodog.com Productions
and starring Bodog.com Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre. The recent deal marks
another milestone in Ayre's plan to utilize television to help turn Bodog.com
into a 21st century media and entertainment giant. Bodog is the first company
with roots in the online gaming industry to produce a TV show and host an
hour-long TV special with U.S. soldiers and their families as the benefactors.
This move again redefines the playing field for online gaming companies,
forcing the rest of the industry to reexamine their business models.
Bodog's celebrity "thank you to the troops" charity event was held for the
110,000 men and women of the U.S. military in Hawaii, many of whom were
awaiting or returning from deployment in the Middle East. The two-day event
has been distilled in a one-hour program, "Bodog Salutes the Troops: A Tribute
to American Heroes," and is set to telecast on Spike TV on Sunday, December 18
(12:30 - 1:30 a.m. ET/PT; 11:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. CT), a great way to cap a
pre-holiday Sunday night for Spike's young male audience.
The event benefited the Fisher House Foundation, which supports military
families, and included celebrities, musicians, comedians and troops
interacting in various activities, including a poker tournament and concert
and comedy show in Oahu, Hawaii. The celebrity events brought together the
servicemen and women of the NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES and ARMY based at Hickam
Air Force Base, Schofield Barracks, Pearl Harbor and Kaneohe Marine Corps
Base.
The weekend kicked off with an inter-service poker tournament overseen by
world famous poker tournament director Matt Savage with military finalists
playing alongside celebrities, professional poker players and Bodog players at
Camp Bodog at the exclusive Kahala Mandarin Oriental resort. The No Limit
Texas Hold'em tournament was won by actress and first-time tournament player
Estella Warren ("The Cooler," "Planet of the Apes"), who blazed a trail
through the 90-player field, knocking out professional poker player David
Williams along the way. Warren took home the grand prize trophy and a
monetary donation was made in her name to the Army's morale welfare
department.
The show's final table also featured Shannon Elizabeth ("American Pie"),
Emmy Award winner Jorge Garcia ("Lost"), World Series of Poker winner Josh
Arieh, four servicemen and Bodog winner Tim Johnson, who earned his trip to
Hawaii through an online Bodog tournament. Sgt. 1st Class Shane Woods of the
Army was the lucky loser, taking home the second-place prize.
Other tournament participants included Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich
("Survivor," "The Amazing Race 7"); Dule Hill ("The West Wing"); Peter Berg
(Director, "Friday Night Lights," "The Rundown"); Joshua Malina ("The West
Wing); Kelli Williams ("The Practice"); as well as 14 Bodog.net players and
more than 60 U.S. troops. Performances included Snoop Dogg, Colin Quinn
("Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," "SNL"); Paul Rodriguez ("The Original Latin
Kings of Comedy"); and Wanda Sykes ("Monster-in-Law," "Wanda Does It").
"The weekend exceeded all our expectations," said Ayre. "Bodog Salutes
the Troops was designed to raise awareness for Fisher House Foundation and
provide entertainment for the troops, and judging by smiles on faces and the
tremendous support from all involved, the events were a great success."
"We are incredibly grateful to Bodog for their compassion and generosity,"
said James Weiskoff, Vice President of Fisher House Foundation. "We hope that
the weekend will bring added attention to the Fisher House Foundation and the
military families that we support."
