Just some thoughts, trying to grasp where the industry is coming from and heading to.
The higher withdrawal fees are obviously a way to discourage (smaller) players from cashing out. At a time when it is much harder to get money into books, and many players want to cash out because of the uncertainty in the industry, this little survival mechanism could help a book more than we may realize. It's all about liquidity. There is no point for any of us to play at a book if that book doesn't have money.
Much of the industry is in survival mode. A time to reevaluate. Lack of flexibility can be deadly now. Cascade stuck with its 105 juice (without Pinny!) and now apparently can't pay their players. (Cascade seems to have a big problem. They can't really move away from 105, because that's the only reason people play there, but as long as they stay at 105 they're going to get hammered.)
There are better ways for books to maintain liquidity than increasing fees. Personally, I like the idea of paying bettors an annual interest on their balance. Guardian offers 10% interest. They give back 10%, but in doing so practically guarantee liquidity. That's a long term strategy, and a far cry from the short term policies that books like CRIS revert to now.
Overall, I'm quite disappointed by the way books have dealt with the transition over the past months. In spite of all the rumors, there never was a 'plan B'?!
The higher withdrawal fees are obviously a way to discourage (smaller) players from cashing out. At a time when it is much harder to get money into books, and many players want to cash out because of the uncertainty in the industry, this little survival mechanism could help a book more than we may realize. It's all about liquidity. There is no point for any of us to play at a book if that book doesn't have money.
Much of the industry is in survival mode. A time to reevaluate. Lack of flexibility can be deadly now. Cascade stuck with its 105 juice (without Pinny!) and now apparently can't pay their players. (Cascade seems to have a big problem. They can't really move away from 105, because that's the only reason people play there, but as long as they stay at 105 they're going to get hammered.)
There are better ways for books to maintain liquidity than increasing fees. Personally, I like the idea of paying bettors an annual interest on their balance. Guardian offers 10% interest. They give back 10%, but in doing so practically guarantee liquidity. That's a long term strategy, and a far cry from the short term policies that books like CRIS revert to now.
Overall, I'm quite disappointed by the way books have dealt with the transition over the past months. In spite of all the rumors, there never was a 'plan B'?!
