Let"s look at the Blue Thing Above Us Poker Tour.
I would very much like to play the £200 + £20 Six Max event at DTD next month, but the only way I can guarantee a seat is by winning a satellite, as they do not accept direct buyins until much closer to the event.
I just want to be able to buyin direct (blatant brag, I know)
So it"s a £48+£4 (1 in 5 get a seat)
Or a £10+£1 into the above satellite
Either option is generating more rake for the aforementioned online site, and although I could bink a seat on the cheap, based on the hands I have just got called down with, it"s like treading through a minefield.
Enforcing satellite entry only is just another way for the site to generate fees as they collect rake throughout the whole satellite process. Again, I"m not trying to defend any additional charges, but comparing and contrasting the current options in the market.
Rant over. 
They/we do offer a direct buy in at outset to their Priority clients and the vast majority of events do go on direct sale generally in the fortnight before the event when most poker players (apart from the loyal play any event and qualify in crowd, which is quite large on Sky) get their wotsits in gear
I also keep a good allocation of seats for the venue which gives me a lot of flexibility for clawback if required..depending on where the demand is. Anyone who wants to get in will get in
APAT doesn"t run the scale of satellites that Sky does (nightly for six weeks prior per event, to a big liquidity pool) so understandably the regulars who come to most/all APAT events have to focus on the direct buy in mechanism and have to do so early
The downside of this is it is far more difficult for a random newbie to play an APAT compared to other recreational tours because the mechanism for entering is so cumbersome. That"s not a criticism, just an observation and not necessarily detrimental to APAT events because the customer base is so loyal, testament to the whole experience of an APAT weekend
Whilst it is true to say that each of the tours in the marketplace recoup costs in various ways, the simple lack of a free of charge "BUY NOW" button on the APAT site when an event goes on sale is the issue, as by charging for a priority work-around to get on the list merely makes the tournament more expensive for the customer
Of course an organisation like DTD has an event up in the online lobby as soon as it is announced with multiple methods of buy in. As APAT has its own card-room now, isn"t this the easiest option, with the upside that it takes APAT players onto the site?
