A poster on the Betfair forum wrote that "this [Betfair] is the ONLY betting exchange and forever will be so"
Nonsense. There's no doubt that Betfair are the dominant company in the Exchange betting business right now, but history is full of examples of companies who got 'too big for their boots' and ended up pale shadows of their former selves. It's not long ago that eBay seemed invincible in the online auction market but profits are now down as buyers and sellers are moving to Amazon in droves, and word spreads that the Amazon experience is better. The advent of Craigslist has also reduced eBay's business at the lower end of the market.
Betfair's position as market leader could similarly disappear very rapidly if, or more likely when, a viable competitor appears on the scene and once tipping point is reached, they will find themselves left high and dry. People have no choice right now but to live with the Premium Charge, the underhand introduction of cross-matching, and the Arcade but they have memories, and the goodwill in many cases is gone.
Yep, I agree; and you're not the only one who thinks so; check out this idea: http://www.algorithmbetting.com/2009/06/14/new-betting-exchange/ (Sorry if you already know for this link; I might even found it following some link from your blog, I don't remember now, heh).
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree with your observation of BetFair greed, I would still be happy to reach such a level of winnings to be subject to premium charge... ;-)
Be clever don't pay the charge let the bookies pay it for you.
ReplyDeletehttp://betstobefair.co.uk/wordpress/?page_id=975
Yes, I did see that. Easy enough if you do the horses, but the winners for me are not so easy to find elsewhere since I'm an in-play sports value seeker. I'm doomed!
ReplyDeleteI think if the last year has taught us anything it's that PC payers will have little influence over when and who will be the next dominant betting exchange. Nick
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