Maverick Canadian businessman and part-time Vancouver resident Calvin Ayre says he has quit Bodog, the online gambling empire that brought him fame, fortune and heat.

"It's true, I'm packing it in," Ayre announced Monday on Bodog's website.

"I'm totally surprised. It's the last thing I would have expected," said Chris Costigan, publisher of Gambling911.com, which closely follows the online gambling industry, in an interview from Miami Beach, Fla.

"I don't know how somebody could go from being the centre of attention to a recluse,"Costigan said. "Whether he can keep that up, I somehow doubt it."

Ayre, now 47, became involved in the online gambling industry in the late 1990s, and introduced Bodog in 2000.

He promoted Bodog as a lifestyle, along the lines of Richard Branson's Virgin and Hugh Hefner's Playboy. He also diversified into music, mixed martial arts and film, which attracted more attention to the website.

Source:http://www.casinonews.org/