Quoted from PrinzFred:It is clear the margin on the pros is much less than premium / LEs and also likely less than competitors. Operators can buy a game around $5k, make money, and resale without much of a hit. On a higher priced game (say premium, LE, JJP, etc) you can’t charge more for people to play (so ROI is much longer) and the hit on resale is much more. So allowing operators to showcase games for them is a good business model for both parties.
I bought a NIB Tron LE, yes LE, for £5,300 (I assume same in USD in US). Current prices mean you don't recoup cost and instead make a substantial loss, so I'm out of the hobby now, bottomline. There are other things that I can spend coin on that are much more fun and much better value. For example, I bought a Rolls-Royce for less than a POTC CE. Go figure.
But a Pro might be worth a punt. Thanks for the heads up about value for money, Gazzer.