HONEST MAN
Playboy football sponsor Calvin reveals his relief at being cleared of US felony gambling charges and vows to plough his freed-up cash into his beloved Ayr United
AYR United’s playboy sponsor last night pledged to party on after a US federal judge declared him to be an Honest Man...after a fashion.
Canadian millionaire Calvin Ayre faced gambling felony charges that carried the threat of 25 years in jail.
But after Ayre agreed to accept a lesser “misdemeanour” charge that carried a $500,000 fine, he was planning to celebrate – with a trip to Scotland to watch a match at Somerset Park in the pipeline.
His big legal break came on the day The Honest Men beat local rivals Kilmarnock in the League Cup – causing a double celebration.
Ayre, whose motto is “Gamblin’, drinkin’ and carryin’ on”, told the Record: “Ayr United aren’t named The Honest Men for nothing. I was pretty sure I would be cleared but it’s been a long hard road. I’m thrilled to have got past the finish line at last and it’s time to have some fun.
“Friday July 14 was an great day for Honest Men and beating Killie was the cherry on top.
“I’m hoping Ayr have a big season this time around. I’ll be supporting The Honest Men through thick and thin again.”
Ayre, who decided to take a financial stake in the team after tracing his relatives back to Ayrshire, was forced to take the foot off the gas with his Bodog online gambling empire as US authorities carried out a major five-year investigation into their finances. Ayre admitted that he was relieved to finally beat the jail threat. He said: “From a business perspective, it means we can do a lot more mainstream marketing and grow the Bodog brand even further. From a personal point of view, it was something I wanted to get off my back more than anything. “I’m proud of the gaming industry and what we’ve achieved over the years and that put an unnecessary blot on the CV.” Ayre, who visited Ayr for a party when he bought into the club in 2012, now has a lot of globetrotting to do as he re-ignites his business interests. But he also means to visit Ayr to run the rule over the players, who were disappointed to be relegated from the Scottish Championship last year after being beaten by Raith Rovers on the last day of the season.
Ayre said: “I’ve got a lot of places to visit over the coming months and Scotland is certainly in the plans.
“I’d like to say hello to the Ayr players. This year we have got to win this league, get promoted and stay up. A cup run would be a bonus but winning the league must be the priority.”
Ayre’s legal breakthrough came after he agreed to admit to a misdemeanour charge of being an “accessory after the fact”.
In exchange, all serious “felony charges” were dropped against both Ayre and Bodog.
They referred to Ayre being indicted on charges of illegal gambling and conspiracy to launder money by the US Attorney for the District of Maryland in February 2012.
The Department of Justice alleged that almost $100million of gambling proceeds had been sent to customers in the US, in violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.
Ayre, 57, was also in hot water with the SFA last year after using a model in body paint to advertise Ayr’s new team strip. He came back for more this year, using a busty girl to model the team’s away kit.