Calvin Ayre
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Calvin Ayre (born May 25, 1961 in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada) is the Founder of the Bodog Entertainment Group, which he launched in 1994. A resident of Antigua, Ayre was featured as the cover story for Forbes Magazine's 2006 Billionaires issue.[1]
In 1996, Calvin Ayre reached a settlement without a hearing with the British Columbia Securities Commission for violations of the Securities Act, S.B.C. 1985, c. 83 [2]. The violations are in relation to Calvin Ayre's management of Bicer Medical Systems Ltd., in 1989, his first year out of university.
Ayre has a Bachelor of Sciences (BSc) in General Sciences from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo Ontario Canada, graduating in 1984 where he also played defense for the varsity hockey team and has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Management Finance from City University in Seattle Washington USA, graduating in 1989. Ayre was also enrolled at the University of Western Ontario in the Faculty of Law, but left after one year for unknown reasons.
Shortly after university, Ayre sold everything he owned and with $10,000 to his name he started the Bodog Group of Companies. Originally envisioning the creation of a software company, Ayre instead set out to create an organization and brand that could cross over into any industry: The Bodog Entertainment Group.
Ayre announced his retirement from Bodog in April 2008.[3] He intends to devote his time to The Calvin Ayre Foundation. Ownership of Bodog was taken over by Morris Mohawk Gaming Group.
[edit] Personal Life – Calvin Ayre Foundation
Founded in 2005, the Calvin Ayre Foundation, headquartered in Antigua, is a private and independent foundation with a charter to do charitable work worldwide. With Ayre as Chairman, the Foundation has pledged millions of dollars and hundreds of hours in support of individuals, communities and charitable organizations throughout the world. Included among those charities are the Fisher House Foundation, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation, the Humane Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Animal Avengers Organization, and the Sean McCauley Hope Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.
The Calvin Ayre Foundation’s own initiatives include the Sponsor a School Project, which provides students living in underdeveloped nations opportunities for a quality education, and the Sponsor a Family Project, which provides financial support for the immediate families of sponsored students. His homes in San José, Costa Rica were featured on a 2008 episode of MTV Cribs. He reprtedly also owns a house in Antigua, the base of his Bodog operations, though it was never shown on MTV Cribs.
