Out of those 7 clubs only one was run by 'a crook' and he probably inadvertently ended up being one.
But the motivation is completely irrelevant. These are people who patently cannot run businesses. They'll have a whole bunch of excuses - but at the end of it they have spent their own money and usually a bunch of other peoples'.
Now you may get lucky and catch one of these companies when things are not in a 'death spiral'. But that is simply the luck of the draw. If you want to do a mini version of Gordon Brown and 'reflate' part of the economy - pay up front. On a good day you'll get a discount, on a bad day you wave goodbye to the money.
But hey if you want to play roulette with being a secret millionaire - pay up front.