Andersp: Absolutely. For example, I went to the waiting games and picked out the highest rated opponent waiting to play backgammon. His rating is less than 200 points lower than mine. The predicted BKR change from playing this person is
win: 2425 (+4), ... loss: 2409 (-12)
In order for this to be fair, I would have to be 3 times as likely as the opponent to win this game; in other words, I would have to have a 75% chance of winning. While this might be true in games without a random factor, it overstates my winning chances significantly in backgammon. (They are probably more like 55% than 75%).
As the ratings gap increases, the system becomes even more ridiculous. It's not uncommon for me to receive a match invitation for which my upside potential is zero!
Yes, the ratings are important to me. That is why I won't play against opponents whose ratings are much more than 100 points lower than mine.