October 19, 2005 – bodoglife.com offered today to cover any fines Allen Iverson receives for violating the NBA’s dress code this season. The online gaming and entertainment giant also plans to extend similar offers to all NBA players.
Even if Iverson pays his own fines, bodoglife.com Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre will match any of the fines levied to the Philadelphia 76ers’ superstar in the form of donations to Iverson’s Crossover Foundation, which supports underprivileged youth in the inner city.
“I can understand the frustration felt by the many basketball players who feel that they have been forced to conform with the league’s new dress code,” says Ayre. ” Iverson and other NBA players have suggested that they will not abide by the league’s dress code, and bodoglife.com will offer to reimburse any fines levied, and match the payment with a donation to each player’s charity of choice.”
Ayre was referring to Monday’s announcement by the league that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the regular season on November 1. The basketball pros will be expected to wear business-casual attire whenever they participate in team or league activities, including arriving at games, leaving games, conducting interviews and making promotional appearances. Teams and players will be subject to fines for violating the dress code. The amount of the fines has not yet been announced.
Although some teams already have a dress code, the fact that the league has imposed this rule is controversial. Iverson, the league’s leading scorer last season, has said he would fight a dress code. Players such as Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby and Charlotte Bobcats guard Brevin Knight have requested stipends from the league to offset the clothing costs.
“I have a great amount of respect for the charitable role Mr. Iverson and other basketball stars play within their communities,” says Ayre. “Many of these sports stars are role models, and actively participate in charities benefiting the underprivileged youth of the American inner cities. There are players who will undoubtedly be fined by the league for dress-code infractions, so it makes sense to put the money to good use.”
Bodog has supported a number of charities during the past year. In April 2005, bodoglife.com was the major sponsor of the LA Lakers Youth Foundation’s Second Annual Casino Night. A handful of film celebrities, poker professionals and L.A. Lakers were on hand to compete in the charity poker tournament. In July 2005, Bodog teamed with the Fisher House foundation to host a “thank you to the troops” charity concert and poker tournament, benefiting the men and women of the U.S. military. Recently, Bodog has taken part in events to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina and teamed with film star Shannon Elizabeth in raising funds for animal rescue.
bodoglife.com, located in San Jose, Costa Rica, is federally licensed by the Costa Rican and UK governments. One of the pioneers in the field, bodoglife.com is the top-ranked US facing online gambling brand, with highest site traffic amongst multi-product US gaming web sites according to Hitwise.