Calvin Ayre’s journey from rural Canada to global business success is anything but conventional. Best known as the founder of the Bodog entertainment brand, he played a key role in shaping the online gambling industry, later turning his attention to emerging technologies such as blockchain and digital assets. Alongside his business ventures, Calvin is a committed philanthropist. Now, as a citizen of Antigua & Barbuda, he has poured significant investment into the nation. His latest venture, the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua, marks a bold new chapter in his efforts to elevate the country’s luxury tourism offering. Calvin shares with us his thoughts on entrepreneurship, his passion for Antigua & Barbuda, and why giving back is just as important as building success.
How did growing up on a pig farm in Saskatchewan shape your approach to business?
Going to school every morning with pig crap on my boots taught me humility. It also taught me the value of hard work and the importance of teamwork. My dad instilled in me the belief that the worst day of working for yourself is better than the best day of working for somebody else. By the time I was old enough to strike out on my own, I was itching to spread my entrepreneurial wings.
After graduating high school, my first real entrepreneurial effort paid for my university education. Once you see that kind of input-output in terms of effort expended and reward generated, you get hooked. Over time, your confidence and your conception of what’s possible grow, so when you see an opportunity, you seize it. You don’t always succeed, but I always say that I am where I am because I’ve succeeded far more often than I’ve failed.
Bodog became a household name in online entertainment. How did you set it apart from the rest of the industry?
From the start, we focused on customer service, an area that was sorely lacking in that business. That included prompt payments of winnings.
The industry was also somewhat faceless, as no one behind the leading gaming sites wanted any personal publicity. I chose to make myself the face of Bodog’s branding campaign, meaning I was all over our marketing materials, helping personalise our brand with our audience and taking it to the next level.
We planned for contingencies like ACH payments, the system used for direct bank transfers, which few in the industry knew about. So, when credit card companies limited deposits, we launched our own version, Direct Bank Transfer, and gained a big chunk of market share before competitors caught on.
Diversifying the Bodog brand into non-gaming sectors like mixed martial arts, music and television production also helped expand our reach to audiences that might otherwise never have heard of us. All roads led back to the mothership – the gaming site – and by targeting sectors that resonated with our market of young men, we convinced many to check out our site as a future option.
“During one trip, I was struck by the beauty of [Antigua] and the warmth of the people, and I started thinking I could live here someday. Almost two decades ago, I made it happen, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
What first brought you to Antigua & Barbuda, and what made you decide to make it your permanent home?
The gaming industry established a significant presence here early on, so I’d visited people I knew in Antigua over the years, and I always enjoyed my stays. During one trip, I was struck by the beauty of the place and the warmth of the people, and I started thinking I could live here someday. Almost two decades ago, I made it happen, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
While I’m an enthusiastic promoter of Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), I’m proud to have earned my Antiguan citizenship the old-fashioned way: by putting down roots and living here, interacting with the community on a daily basis, going on lengthy hikes, wakeboarding, trying out new restaurants, and just exploring all this beautiful island has to offer. If you see me, say hi!
Nikki Beach adds a new dimension to the tourism scene. What was your vision, and what sets it apart?
I’ve dabbled in a number of real estate projects over the years, including some of my personal residences around the globe. Just like business ventures, your design horizons expand as you gain confidence and experience, and these projects become more and more elaborate. I eventually wanted to take on something truly epic that pushed me beyond my comfort zone.
Since this resort would be a significant step forward in terms of scale, the people I chose to partner with needed to have a proven track record of success, quality and attention to detail. After speaking with Lucia Penrod, I was confident that the Nikki Beach Group ticked all those boxes and then some.
This is Nikki Beach’s first resort in the Caribbean – the first in the Western Hemisphere, actually – so I know they want to hit a home run. Between their attention to luxurious detail and the stellar talents of HKS Architects and Roam Interior Design, this resort is going to knock people off their feet.
I hope this project helps enhance Antigua’s reputation among high-net-worth individuals. I want them to be as bowled over with this nation’s beauty as I am, so they tell all their friends about what they’re missing. I also hope they take advantage of the CIP options for those who choose to buy a branded residence. I want them to make Antigua their home away from home.
“I hope this project helps enhance Antigua’s reputation among high-net-worth individuals. I want them to be as bowled over with this nation’s beauty as I am, so they tell all their friends about what they’re missing.”
How do you ensure your projects benefit local people?
My companies always include local officials in the planning and local residents in the workforce. That’s not just being a good ‘corporate citizen’, it’s being a good citizen, period.
It’s also smart business, because there’s nothing the people of this country can’t do if they’re given the opportunity, the right tools and proper guidance. There are hundreds of jobs being created in the resort’s development phase and hundreds more permanent positions once it opens to the public. Antiguans rock, and I know everyone will be doing their utmost to ensure this project is a success.
What led you to branch into aviation with CalvinAir?
Flying is just in my DNA. My dad flew his own plane when I was a kid, and I got my pilot’s license as soon as I was old enough. But CalvinAir came about mainly because I saw the business opportunity. High-net-worth individuals generally value time over money and don’t want to conform to someone else’s schedule to get from Point A to Point B. And if that helps encourage them to establish a more permanent residence here, with all the related benefits for local businesses and such, so much the better.
I’m proud of CalvinAir’s success, and even more proud that we offer free medevac services to those in urgent need. It’s also enormously rewarding when we’re able to deploy our resources to search-and-rescue operations, where mere minutes can mean the difference between life and death.
“I’m proud of CalvinAir’s success, and even more proud that we offer free medevac services to those in urgent need.”
Of all the causes you’ve supported through the Calvin Ayre Foundation, which makes you most proud?
Our educational initiatives, because I’ve always viewed education as the gift that keeps on giving. There are all sorts of intelligent kids who lack the means to nurture their gifts and turn their dreams into reality. Education allows people to become self-starters, regardless of the environment they were born into.
When I visit schools, I tell kids that I was a good student and that whatever antics I got up to outside of school stopped the moment the bell rang in the morning. Like most things in life, you get out what you put in. So, I tell them, when in class, be there to learn. This opportunity might not come again, so make the most of it.
How important are eco-friendly practices, and what are your views on balancing development with conservation?
I sometimes get criticised for flying a lot, but my business operations are global, and often there’s just no substitute for being there in person. However, our operations have always emphasised energy efficiency, keeping our environmental ‘footprint’ as small as possible, and, wherever possible, relying on renewable energy.
When it comes to public sector development, too many people in the West like to lecture those in emerging markets about conservation, forgetting that people in developing nations just want to enjoy the same benefits the West has enjoyed for decades, if not centuries. That’s hypocritical in the extreme, given that much of the pollution and climate change impact has been caused by Western nations.
Many of the new public and private-sector projects in emerging markets are ‘cleaner’ than the legacy systems in Western countries. These days, it’s simply good business sense, as many of the ‘greener’ options can be less expensive in the long run.
What’s next for you?
As I get older, I’ve had more exposure to the wellness sector. There are a lot of new developments in this space that I’m curious to try, and I’m also interested in learning about potential business ventures.
