Merge Gaming Halts Player to Player Transfers

Merge Gaming is canceling the practice of player to player (P2P) chip transfers effective November 1.
Though no official reason was given, a report on 4flush.com said the move was made to combat a thriving market in, for-profit, chip sales and transfers; and possibly by  the launch of Carbon Sports
Brokering chip transfers from US players has become almost a full time job for some players and Merge officials aren’t all that happy about the practice.
While P2P transfers, weren’t illegal, they did lead to unnatural player promotions and caused major headaches for those charged with monitoring fraud on the network.
Carbon Sports Opening
Another theory about the big move is that Merge officials are worried about a loss of liquidity ahead of Carbon Poker’s move off of the Merge Gaming Cashier ahead of the opening of Carbon sports. Carbon Poker will remain on the Merge Network, but will be using a different electronic cashier.
The Big Winner
The big winners in this story the chip brokers making purchases from increasingly desperate US players. According the 4flush report, brokers who once commanded only a 15% discount on chip transfers are now getting more like 25%.
There’s no word yet on when, or if, P2P chip transfers on Merge will be reinstated.
What do you think is behind this move? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.