[pescetom]

IIRC +56% for the same robot compared to 2021, +34% compared to a year ago?

BBO said:

Price Changes as of January 9, 2023
Dear BBO player,

We’re committed to providing you with the best possible bridge experience. On January 9, BBO will adjust pricing for some products.

Renting a robot

One-tournament Robot Partner Rental: 0.39 BB$
One-day Advanced Robot Rental: 1.99 BB$
One-week Basic Robot Rental: 2.99 BB$
Entry fees

BBO Express - 4 Fast Boards Tournaments: 0.15 BB$
BBO Daylong Tournaments (8 boards; GIB/Acol/Just Declare): 0.59 BB$
BBO Robot Duplicate Tournaments (8 boards): 0.49 BB$
BBO Instant Tournaments: 0.59 BB$
Ind. ACBL Express Tournaments: 1.19 BB$
ACBL Limited Daylong Tournaments (0-20 and 299er): 1.69 BB$
ACBL Daylong Tournaments (12 boards): 1.79 BB$
ACBL Daylong Tournaments (18 boards): 2.49 BB$
ACBL Instant Tournaments: 1.79 BB$
ACBL Robot Duplicate Tournaments (12 Boards): 1.69 BB$
ACBL Robot Duplicate Tournaments (18 Boards): 2.49 BB$
ACBL Speedball Tournaments: 1.99 BB$
ACBL 18-board Pairs Tournaments (Open/0-499/0-1500): 3.99 BB$
BBO reward tournaments

It's a tough time for all of us, but:

US Labor Department said:

The annual inflation rate for the United States is 7.1% for the 12 months ended November 2022 after rising 7.7% previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data published Dec. 13.

and France is at most double that.

[dave251164]

Daylongs going up from 42c to 59c?!
A 40%+ rise at a time when many people are struggling financially?!
That's GREED pure and simple and demonstrates a complete lack of compassion, understanding and common-sense!
I could maybe understand a 10% increase due to inflationary pressures, but 40%+ no way!
Players should give serious consideration to playing less Daylongs in protest, so that the income from them actually goes down and not up with the price increase!

[LBengtsson]

When fellow commentators show the actual percentage increase, compared to the countries inflation rates, then I have to agree it looks so wrong in comparison.

That is the bogey: it only looks like a nickels-and-dimes increase, just small scraps that poor kids fight over, but in real terms the increase is way over inflation. I do not play with or against robots so I am lucky, I guess: I will not be getting mugged.

[hrothgar]

its important to understand that 52 Entertainment is getting ready to sell off its properties
They need to be able to significantly increase their revenue as possible in the short run to maximize their sales price.

I think that its rude to focus so much on the effects on the user base.
Won't someone please think of the investment banks!

These last few years have been very hard on hedge funds
Surely we can all dig a little deeper into our pockets and make sure that these good people, who have so improved BBO, have a happy 2023!

For 52 Entertainment is an honourable company!
So are they all, all honourable men

[afaruque]

I used to play daylong with robots, but a 40% price increase to play with robots is very unreasonable. I will reduce my play by 80% in protest.

[pescetom]

LBengtsson, on 2023-January-07, 00:46, said:

I do not play with or against robots so I am lucky, I guess: I will not be getting mugged.

Not sure what you play without robots, but except for a table with friends, in the last few years your free options have disappeared or radically diminished and your payment options have increased in much the same manner.

[thepossum]

Will be interesting to see how elasticity of demand plays into profits/revenue this time
I just avoided playing a regular ACBL tourney due to the shock. Time for a beer instead

Also I don't think Labor market inflation can be an excuse for tech price rises - what is the cost of tweaking a few AWS (or other) service parameteres these days.
A few minutes work or maybe even run by a load balancing/demand sensitive robot.
It's time for them to have their easy profits/revenue clipped a bit methinks
- or think of us all helping reduce load on their servers a bit, and consequent costs - could also be good for emissions. Less time spent socialising with robots too. Win Win

The free tourneys are not so much fun though

We need a graph of price changes to forum engagement

[FrankerZ]

Also just noticed the 50% rise in the quarter hourly non-reward fast 4 board event. Why would anyone ever play one of these compared to the reward version now?

[thepossum]

FrankerZ, on 2023-January-11, 03:09, said:

Also just noticed the 50% rise in the quarter hourly non-reward fast 4 board event. Why would anyone ever play one of these compared to the reward version now?

Interesting thought. Have rewards gone up proportionately too. Maybe also ACBL and BBO points

[redseat]

pescetom, on 2023-January-06, 15:22, said:

IIRC +56% for the same robot compared to 2021, +34% compared to a year ago?

This is just greed, I will boycott daylongs in protest, hopefully if enough members take the same view revenue will decrease overall

[arcticrose]

I ignored the $0.20 increase on 18-board pairs June 2022 and the $0.50 increase November 2022. But an additional $1.00 increase January 2023 adds up to too much within less than a year. A digital platform such as this is not real labor intensive so the increases cannot be explained by wage increases to the minions. I've resolved to reduce my play in 2023 and will be looking for alternatives in play and activities. Check out the companies behind BBO: Entertainment 52 and HLD Equity Fund and see if you want to continue to support them at this level.

[nxw0016]

All bridge players on BBO should voice our concerns, together we have to stand up against corporate greed. If we don't, we will start to lose even more, once they see they what they can get away with, they will start to take away those free games, free tables. Imagine you will have to pay just to watch vugraph?

BBO was meant to be a great platform for bridge enthusiasts, for us to enjoy the game and improve our gameplays. It's not for shareholders to sit there collecting profit from those who like to sharpen their brains.

When such a nice platform was being sold to a company, corporate greed will start to invade if we let our guard down.

[hrothgar]

arcticrose, on 2023-February-06, 14:15, said:

I ignored the $0.20 increase on 18-board pairs June 2022 and the $0.50 increase November 2022. But an additional $1.00 increase January 2023 adds up to too much within less than a year. A digital platform such as this is not real labor intensive so the increases cannot be explained by wage increases to the minions. I've resolved to reduce my play in 2023 and will be looking for alternatives in play and activities. Check out the companies behind BBO: Entertainment 52 and HLD Equity Fund and see if you want to continue to support them at this level.

Please note: A bunch of the ACBL leadership is also trying to drive up prices to try to force their members back into the F2F clubs

[blindsey]

And to think that bridge became popular during the Great Depression because it was so cheap. Just a deck of cards, and tables and chairs that could be used for other purposes, like dinner.

Of course, people at that time could organize games at home without the assistance of a national organization, and didn't have smartphones.

I hear that decks of cards are still for sale in some places.

[barmar]

blindsey, on 2023-February-15, 17:34, said:

And to think that bridge became popular during the Great Depression because it was so cheap. Just a deck of cards, and tables and chairs that could be used for other purposes, like dinner.

Of course, people at that time could organize games at home without the assistance of a national organization, and didn't have smartphones.

I hear that decks of cards are still for sale in some places.

And that hasn't changed. Casual tables are still free on BBO.

[pescetom]

barmar, on 2023-February-21, 11:01, said:

And that hasn't changed. Casual tables are still free on BBO.

Neither had the other things changed until they did
Do you have any justification for the price rises?