Most of what I know here (not much!) comes from reading about the Kate Hall staking dispute... So take this with a grain of salt.
But: I thought the typical arrangement was that if the staker quits *you*, they lose the makeup. Otherwise, they would be entering into a totally risk-free arrangement.
In the Hall dispute (if I recall it correctly), she dropped out, then either thought the decision was mutual or just did not want to be responsible for the makeup.
The main lesson I took from it was that whatever the terms agreed to, you really must have a clear arrangement, written down, with no grey areas.
Anyway: I hate credit of any kind, even 0% for the first whatever. It weighs on my mind and clouds my decision-making. So I only buy what I can pay for in cash. Bankers will tell you this make you a sucker; but I never want to in effect work for the bank. I likewise do not lend money to friends, because it often leads to spoiled friendships. (Maybe it’s a New England Yankee thing.)
Staking of course is a different form of credit than, say, a home equity loan. But I still don’t like it. Seems likely to lead to bad decisions, disputes, poor play, or at least some bad feeling with a friend.
If you are winning at your stakes, just keep winning until you can play higher on your own. Take a few shots to see how it feels when you have some extra cash. It will be more satisfying if you grind your way up.