Bodog Exits Canada: Offshore iGaming Giant Rebrands as Ozoon Amid Provincial Regulatory Crackdown
Key Highlights
- Brand Retirement: The iconic Bodog name is discontinued for Canadian online gambling as of today.
- Seamless Migration: User balances, bets, and histories have automatically transferred to the new Ozoon.eu platform.
- Regulatory Pivot: The rebrand follows a 2025 Manitoba injunction and tightening provincial oversight across Canada.
As Canada’s iGaming landscape evolves amid rapidly shifting regulations, one of the industry’s most enduring and controversial names is entering a new chapter.
Effective February 17, 2026, offshore gambling giant Bodog has officially rebranded its Canadian operations as Ozoon.
This marks the end of over 30 years for the Bodog brand in Canada and signals a strategic pivot as the country moves toward a fully regulated national framework.
From Bodog to Ozoon: The End of an Era
The transition took place during scheduled overnight maintenance on Tuesday.
According to official communications, the rebrand follows the parent company’s decision to retire the Bodog name in online gambling.
For Canadian players migrating to Ozoon.eu, the experience is designed to be frictionless:
- Seamless Migration: Existing usernames and passwords remain valid for the new site.
- Wallet Integrity: Full account balances, active bets, and transaction histories are preserved.
- Loyalty Continuity: Reward points and active bonuses have been transferred without loss of value.
Meanwhile, Bodog’s Latin American operations are taking a different path, with accounts in that region reportedly migrating to Ignition Poker.
A Strategic Response to a Hardening Market
The rebrand is more than a cosmetic change; it is a response to a tightening Canadian regulatory environment.
For decades, Bodog operated in a “grey market,” exploiting the ambiguous space between provincial lottery monopolies and international law.
However, the success of Ontario’s regulated market, combined with the imminent launch of Alberta’s new sports betting framework, has created mounting pressure on offshore operators.
In July 2025, Manitoba issued a court order to geo-block Bodog in Manitoba, labeling some of its “trusted” claims as misleading and forcing the company to reconsider its market strategy.
The following timeline highlights key regulatory pressures faced by offshore operators in Canada from 2022 through 2026:
Regulatory Pressure Timeline: 2022–2026
| Date | Event | Impact on Offshore Market |
| April 2022 | Ontario Launches Regulated Market | Established the first “legal” alternative, pulling liquidity from grey sites. |
| May 2025 | AGCO Media Warning | Ontario regulator calls on media to stop running ads for Bodog and others. |
| July 2025 | Manitoba Injunction | Court orders Bodog to geo-block Manitoba and labels its “trusted” claims misleading. |
| January 2026 | Alberta iGaming Corporation | Alberta formalizes its independent regulator, moving toward an Ontario-style model. |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Official Rebrand | Bodog retires the brand in Canada, migrating all users to Ozoon.eu. |
The Legacy of Calvin Ayre
Founded in 1994, Bodog was once the undisputed leader of the early 2000s poker boom. Its history is distinctly tied to billionaire founder Calvin Ayre, who famously appeared on the cover of Forbes as a “digital outlaw” before facing a 2012 U.S. federal indictment.
While Ayre has since shifted focus to the Bitcoin SV (BSV) ecosystem and stepped back from daily gambling operations, the Bodog name carries historical baggage that Ozoon seems intent on shedding.
As provincial regulators tighten enforcement and media scrutiny increases, shedding the Bodog name may not be cosmetic at all. Instead, it represents a calculated attempt to future-proof operations in a market that is steadily closing the door on its offshore past.
Implications for the Canadian iGaming Industry
The rebranding of a major offshore operator is a bellwether for Canada’s evolving market.
It signals that even established offshore operators acknowledge the era of unregulated dominance is ending.
As a result, Ozoon will be an interesting case study to watch. If the new brand retains the player liquidity previously held by Bodog, it will remain a formidable force, regardless of provincial licensing status.
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