Sports Handicapping Blog

Independent Research Shows Bodog has the
Best Brand Strength in Online Gambling

For Immediate Release

Jan. 8, 2010
A report published on January 5, 2010 by independent gaming consultant Josh Apiafi using Google to test the brand strength of the top 10 online gambling sites showed Bodog to be the strongest.

The other companies used in the study were: 888, bet365, Betfair, Bodog, bwin, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, Party Poker, Pokerstars and William Hill.

Calvin Ayre, founder of the Bodog brand, stated: "When I saw this news pop up on the web my New Year hangover cleared even before I finished my breakfast Ceaser; Vodka, Clamato juice and spices. We had a hunch since I first rolled the Bodog brand and business model that we are considered interesting. But that's only part of the story - we also stand for having fun and that's what all people want, especially ones that gamble. Whether you're into poker, blackjack, roulette or sports, people are looking for a thrill and all those companies trying to be all corporate are simply boring their own customers. It's also why I don't think online gaming companies should go public, the market expects you to be all corporate, which is boring so you end up losing your entertainment soul."

"The measurement method of this study is a very clever one too - who can argue with Google? I am raising my glass now to another 15 years at the top."

How it worked: The survey was done by looking at the number of Google Alerts generated daily, during December, by documents published on the web that contained a mention of each of the brands listed and was carried out by Josh Apaifi of Apiafi Associates. Google Alerts are a service offered by Google which notifies its users by email, or as a feed, about pages published on the web that contain words you are tracking and is a global search.

The original survey: http://bit.ly/6WKv7w

Google Alerts Total:
Bodog - 510
PokerStars - 493
Betfair - 467
Paddy Power - 437
Ladbrokes - 421
Bet365 - 414
William Hill - 395
BWin - 178
Party Poker - 175
888* - 99
*mentions of telephone numbers containing '888' were discounted

About BodogBrand.com

Created in 2005, BodogBrand.com is an entirely new model of venture partner - one that takes the vast, contained energy of a globally-recognized brand from one sector, couples it with deep branding expertise and financial depth, and unleashes it to propel new ventures to prominence in complementary industries. A model that respects the entrepreneur and understands that "ventures synergies" is not some marketing buzzword, but has the potential to be the foundation of an entirely new way of doing business.

BodogBrand.com holds the global rights to license the Bodog brand across all sectors and its mandate is to partner with carefully-selected licensees to license the brand to accelerate partner growth, while extending the BodogBrand.com into new and vibrant markets.

More than just an IP licensing company, more than a venture capitalist, more than a marketing and management consultancy - BodogBrand.com sees the world just a little bit differently.

What do we see? We see a global brand, but one whose character of dynamic innovation is not corroded by it becoming just another asset on some behemoth company's balance sheet. We see a brand that retains its vigour because it is brought to life every day by a growing community of entrepreneurs, an ecosystem of licensees in complementary sectors whose efforts don't compete, but enhance, one another's businesses. United by common values, bound together by a shared vision, the brand licensees form a thriving hive of innovation and passion.

For further information, call Ed Pownall, BodogBrand.com Press Office (London), at +44-7825-064776 or email pr@bodogbrand.com.

About Apiafi Associates

Apiafi Associates is an independent consultancy which concentrates mainly within the gaming and horseracing industry. It also consults to businesses outside of these areas on commercial, marketing and branding matters. It is headed up by Josh Apiafi who prior to founding the business was CEO of the Professional Jockeys Association. Josh was also Director of Horseracing and Head of Marketing for Betfair from 2002 - 2007.

Apiafi Associates client base includes REL (Racing Enterprises Ltd), The Professional Jockeys Association, The PPF (Professional Players Association), Joules Clothing, Integrity In Sport Ltd, Rewards4Golf, Weathercock Racing Ltd and Sportsmasters International.

# # #

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The college football schedule offers up a lesser bowl game on Wednesday night, with No. 25 Central Michigan vs. Troy in the GMAC Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile. The ranked Chippewas (11-2 SU, 9-3 ATS) doubled up on Ohio 20-10 in their last game to take the MAC championship. The Trojans (9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS) picked up a 48-31 win over Louisiana-Lafayette last time out; Troy was the Sun Belt champ. The oddsmakers have set Central Michigan as the 2.5-point favorite for Wednesday's game, with the total for the contest pegged at 63.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA has 10 games on tap for Wednesday, including Boston at Miami. The Celtics (24-8 SU, 14-18 ATS) got past the Raptors 103-96 at home in their last game on Saturday, with Ray Allen scoring 23 points in the absence of Kevin Garnett (knee), Paul Pierce (knee), and Rajon Rondo (hamstring). The Heat (17-15 SU, 16-16 ATS) are coming off a 92-75 home win over Atlanta in their game on Monday; Dwyane Wade had a team-high 28 points for Miami in the matchup.

Also on the NBA hardwood on Wednesday: New Jersey at Atlanta, Toronto at Orlando, Washington at Cleveland, Golden State at Minnesota, New Orleans at Oklahoma City, Houston at Phoenix, Memphis at Utah, the Lakers at the Clippers, and Detroit at San Antonio. The Spurs (20-12 SU, 17-14-1 ATS) will be looking for a win after falling 91-86 in Toronto in their last game on Sunday. Tony Parker had 23 points for San Antonio in the loss, and Tim Duncan had 21 points.

Top-10 teams in action around college basketball on Wednesday include No. 7 Syracuse (vs. Memphis), No. 8 West Virginia (vs. Rutgers), No. 6 Villanova (vs. DePaul), No. 5 Duke (at Iowa State) and No. 1 Kansas (vs. Cornell). As well, the night's ranked matchup has No. 17 Wisconsin (12-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) at No. 10 Michigan State (11-3 SU, 4-9 ATS). The Badgers are coming off a 63-46 win over Penn State last game, while the Spartans knocked off Northwestern 91-70.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are six games on the NHL's schedule for Wednesday, with Tampa Bay at Buffalo, Dallas at the Rangers, Toronto at Philadelphia, Calgary at Minnesota, the Islanders at Colorado, and St. Louis at San Jose. The 17-18-6 Blues and new head coach Davis Payne will be looking to bounce back from a 6-3 loss to the Blackhawks in their last game. The 27-9-7 Sharks were bounced 6-2 by the Kings in their Monday outing; Patrick Marleau and Doug Murray had the San Jose goals in that loss, while Evgeni Nabokov made 11 saves on 16 shots.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Rockets look to blast past the Lakers, the Wild meet the Hawks, and Iowa takes on Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

It's Iowa (10-2 SU, 8-3 ATS) vs. Georgia Tech (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) in the Orange Bowl at Miami's LandShark Stadium on Tuesday night. The No. 10 Hawkeyes blanked Minnesota 12-0 in their regular-season finale, with Brandon Wegher rushing for the team's lone touchdown; Iowa starting QB Ricky Stanzi (ankle) will return to action on Tuesday. The No. 9 Yellow Jackets beat Clemson 39-34 last time out to win the ACC championship. Georgia Tech is listed by the oddsmakers as the 5-point favorite for the Orange Bowl, with the game's total at 50.5 points.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA's nine-game slate for Tuesday includes Houston at the Lakers, with the Rockets (20-14 SU, 20-14 ATS) coming off a 99-95 loss in New Orleans on Saturday. Trevor Ariza had a team-high 19 points for Houston in that defeat, while Chuck Hayes was good for nine points and 13 rebounds. The Lakers destroyed the Mavericks 131-96 in their last game on Sunday night, with Lamar Odom picking up 15 points and 15 boards. Jordan Farmar had 24 points that day.

Rounding out the NBA's schedule for Tuesday: Orlando at Indiana, Washington at Philadelphia, Chicago at Charlotte, Milwaukee at New Jersey, Detroit at Dallas, Golden State at Denver, Memphis at Portland, and Phoenix at Sacramento. The Suns dropped to 21-13 SU (19-14-1 ATS) on the season with a 128-103 loss to Memphis on Saturday; Amare Stoudemire had a game-high 29 points for the Suns in that contest, while Steve Nash had 19 points and 13 assists. The Kings head into this Tuesday matchup on a three-game losing skid.

As well, the top teams in action around college basketball on Tuesday are Texas and Purdue, with the 13-0 Longhorns playing on the road against Arkansas and the 13-0 Boilermakers getting a visit from Minnesota. Purdue (6-6-1 ATS) kept their perfect record intact with a 77-62 win over West Virginia in their last game on Friday. JaJuan Johnson led the way with 25 points and 10 boards in the win.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, the NHL offers up 10 games on Tuesday night, including Minnesota at Chicago. The 20-19-3 Wild will be looking to bounce back from a 5-3 loss to the Devils in their last game on Saturday; Eric Belanger, Mikko Koivu, and Andrew Brunette scored for Minnesota in that contest. The 29-10-3 Blackhawks had no trouble with the Ducks on Sunday night, cruising to a 5-2 victory. Marian Hossa had a pair of goals for Chicago in that victory, while Patrick Kane had two assists.

Also on the ice on Tuesday: Florida at Toronto, Montreal at Washington, Dallas at New Jersey, Boston at Ottawa, Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Calgary at Nashville, Phoenix at Edmonton, Columbus at Vancouver, and Detroit at Anaheim. The 21-14-6 Red Wings won their second straight game on Saturday, getting past the Coyotes by a score of 4-1. The 16-19-7 Ducks have now lost three games in a row; Petteri Nokelainen had both Ducks goals in their Sunday loss to the Hawks.