Originally posted on 01/30/2014:

Quote Originally Posted by Hareeba! View Post
Just took another look at the Superbowl MLs:

Pinnacle: Seattle 2.09, Denver 1.8475
Betfair (at 3% comm.) 2.1058 and 1.8509 respectively
And just to be fair (and on topic): after 6.5% commission Betfair's price is Seattle 2.05 & Denver 1.82 .

Yes, it was once possible to reduce your commission at Betfair to as low as 2% (I was at a reduced rate for a very long time myself) -- but it is not possible anymore for most of us. A few months ago Betfair increased the requirements for earning that reduction substantially (at least for most non-Brits or Irish -- not sure about Australia). For example, you now need to earn 7,000 points instead of 1,000 points to see your first reduction. For that reason, the premium charge and other reasons, many of us have moved all of or some of our money and action to Betdaq, Matchbook, Pinnacle and elsewhere -- necessarily, further reducing any possibility of earning the commission reduction.

Hareeba, I realize you are a big Betfair fan and obviously a heavy player, but I think quoting odds at 3% commission is a bit disingenuous of you. Unless, that is, you honestly believe the average SBR reader is really going to be earning 150,000 Betfair points a week -- which is the new requirement to maintain 3% for most of us outside the UK and Ireland. For those of you unfamiliar with Betfair's point system that would essentially mean generating roughly $30,000CDN COMMISSION from your bets and maintaining that level of betting on a weekly basis* (note: that is not $30,000 worth of winning bets per week but $30,000 comission from those bets!). I'm pretty sure not even Betfair's own marketing department would try selling us that one.

*For the sake of simplicity (and, perhaps, to sway the argument towards my side), yes, I have ignored Betfair's rules about 15% weekly point decay and using possible "point holidays" to maintain your balance. The central point stands: you have to be one mighty big high roller nowadays to reach and then maintain 3% commission at Betfair. The actual rules and regulations can be found on their site for those interested in the nitty gritty.