General Betting
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30 Jul 11
14:56
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Date Joined:
23 Nov 10
Betfair has made it plain they are looking for recreational mugs not serious punters / traders, while using the veneer of an exchange as a USP to suck in mugs to their brand.
To me this view is sad but understandable give the greater profitability of fixed odds bookmakers compared to exchanges alas.
Some think this is a good business decision by BF, many others are opposed to this strategic move (often because it will cost them their tax-free livelehood).
However, regardless of your view of the wisdom of their strategy, might the logical conclusion of their policy be to close or supertax API customers even further? Presumably these customers impose a technical strain on Betfair. They would represent a fairly good subsample of unwelcome customers. Why bother persevering with the API if you are looking only for mugs who do their brains? Surely closing the API would be a good way to "handicap" more serious customers and level the playing field with mugs? Or are there lots of mugs who do their brains - while thinking they are shrewd and have the edge - through the API, therefore making the service worthwhile to continue with in order to extract the maximum from the clueless? I know data request charges already exist. Perhaps it would be best not to entirely close the API to avoid rivals gaining a foothold. But how about gradually "degrading" the API interface to bring users down closer to the standard site level?
To me this view is sad but understandable give the greater profitability of fixed odds bookmakers compared to exchanges alas.
Some think this is a good business decision by BF, many others are opposed to this strategic move (often because it will cost them their tax-free livelehood).
However, regardless of your view of the wisdom of their strategy, might the logical conclusion of their policy be to close or supertax API customers even further? Presumably these customers impose a technical strain on Betfair. They would represent a fairly good subsample of unwelcome customers. Why bother persevering with the API if you are looking only for mugs who do their brains? Surely closing the API would be a good way to "handicap" more serious customers and level the playing field with mugs? Or are there lots of mugs who do their brains - while thinking they are shrewd and have the edge - through the API, therefore making the service worthwhile to continue with in order to extract the maximum from the clueless? I know data request charges already exist. Perhaps it would be best not to entirely close the API to avoid rivals gaining a foothold. But how about gradually "degrading" the API interface to bring users down closer to the standard site level?
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Replies: 9
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betfair will not close or super tax API because that really would open the door to the compition ie betquack etc
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one word no.
If you want your website crawling with screen scrapers paying no fees at all then away you go. APIs are essential for a web business. Might aswell close the website and use phones imo |
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The reason for the charges is to protect Betfair's most important market makers(betting promotions etc). These people provide maybe 70 to 80 percent of the liquidity on Betfair. They use the api, but because of the the economic downturn and other regulatory decisions, their margins have been squeezed. they are not liable for pc because they already pay high commission levels. The new pc charge is to level the playing field between the strategically important market makers who put liquidity in almost every market and the traders who exploit the commission system.That's my opinion. So nothing to do with api.
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Api users already have to bear charges for overuse.
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And if a regular punter uses any of the free applications (like mine) available to them (and including Bf own's Rapid) which comply to the throttling requirements ... and that are just improved versions of the UI ...
Should they also be severely punished? |
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plenty of third party apps for android iphone would be killed off aswell.
the idea that API users are a different class of users and behave in different way to website users is false premise. |
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I would like to believe the recent post by acc, as it seems to make strong, basic economic sense to me.
Do any others, perhaps more in the know than me on such matters, have an opinion on what he is saying ?. |
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im not in the know...but he could be right...it doesn't make since to charge me 40% PC but another person 60%...it look like betfair needs to hurt accounts with a high win rate...A PC account at 40% can take out far more money from betfair then an PC account at 60%....
this new PC is about protect someone from accounts that have a high win strike rates, it not about replace cash |
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That only makes sense if you assume that PC2-players are about to leave in big numbers, or if BF hands over the PC2-money to these big liquidity providers.
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