Rake policies of for-profit and non-profit online poker sites: A case study
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2016

How does governance affect the operative behaviour of gambling sites? We conjecture that differences in governance primarily cause pricing differences among gambling sites. This paper presents an analysis of the purpose and implications of rake policy differences between privately owned for-profit and state-owned non-profit poker web sites. Specifically, the paper comprises a comparative case study analysis of Svenska Spel Poker, owned by the Swedish state, and the commercial site PokerStars. The analysis focuses on the range of different types of single table Sit and Go tournaments offered at each site. We observe two main differences between the sites with respect to rake. First, PokerStars uses a rather complex formula to determine the rake percentage based on variables such as tournament speed, stakes, and size while Svenska Spel uses the same rake percentage for all Sit and Go tournaments regardless of speed and stakes but with a 50 percent discount if the tournament is played heads-up. Second, PokerStars charges less rake than Svenska Spel except for the lowest stakes. We discuss the effects and purpose of these rake policy differences from four different perspectives: 1) the individual player, 2) the player collective, 3) the poker market, and 4) society. The overall conclusion is that these different perspectives cause conflicting opinions on the 'goodness' of the sites. Our study also highlights the difficulties experienced by a state-owned gambling site in balancing social and corporate goals.

online gambling

for-profit gambling

non-profit gambling

PokerStars

Svenska Spel Poker

rake policy

Författare

Björn Lantz

Chalmers, Teknikens ekonomi och organisation, Innovation and R&D Management

Anders Isaksson

Chalmers, Teknikens ekonomi och organisation, Innovation and R&D Management

Journal of Gambling Business and Economics

1751-8008 (ISSN)

Vol. 10 3 13-31

Ämneskategorier

Annan maskinteknik

Företagsekonomi

Mer information

Skapat

2017-10-08