The term "Beta release" has evolved since its inception.
In the classic, original sense, the content of a Beta release contained all the features of the final product and Beta Testing exposed it to a select user base to find bugs you couldn't with a smaller internal test team. The duration of a Beta release was usually months. New features or feature enhancement mentioned by the Beta testers were usually slated for later releases. A program like Excel would have been developed using a classic Beta release.
Read the section titled "Impact of the World Wide Web" at the bottom ov the above cited reference BETA to get a better idea of what's going on with the WGT Beta. Or here's a WSJ article "For Some Technology Companies, Beta Becomes a Long Term Label" which says Betas are really a marketing device allowing companies to capture a user base and find out what features are really wanted.
In the classic sense of Beta release, paying to use the Beta version was unheard of. In the new sense of Beta releases, as long as the product provides usable services (which WGT does) during the Beta and I have a choice whether or not to buy, I don't have a problem with paying (buying clubs and balls @ WGT). I consider it paying in advance for the final product.
I just wish I knew what features WGT has in mind for the final product and an approximate date when it would be available. I also wish they would use some of the money I've paid in advance to fix many of the existing bugs.
The game is usable only because I do these work arounds:
1. I set affinity to a single CPU for FF and the Flash plug-in
2. I turn many of the game options off or down.
3. I pause my back swing at the top for the count of 4 or 5
I'd like to be able to use the full power of my i5 processor, enjoy the full graphics of the game, and play faster.