Private Clubs: Big Industry, Big Action, But Are They Safe?

I recently stumbled upon a private online poker club with some seriously juicy games – tons of action and big pots. It got me thinking about the whole private club scene. It seems like a much bigger industry than most people realize, but I haven't explored it much. Anyone have thoughts on the appeal of private clubs? Is the action generally better than on mainstream sites? What's driving the growth of these clubs, and what are the pros and cons for players? I think the rake system is different in each club. The one I stumbled upon had a 5% rake (10bb cap) and weekly 50% rakeback. So players get half of the rake they generate. I'm not sure if the club I've been playing in for the past two weeks is a good representation of what's actually going on. However, the action is incomparable to an average GG or Stars game. The average VPIP was somewhere around 40-50%. The only thing I was worried about was if they could just block your withdrawals since you are essentially giving money to a random stranger. But so far, it's been all good and fair. I figured there is no real reason for them to scam, since they make more money in the long run with rake. Scamming a player would stop them from playing and potentially damage their reputation... idk, but so far, it seems that some clubs have much softer and profitable games. So, wanted to know other people's opinions.