  The apparent gap between the measured and the expected value for the
semileptonic branching ratio of $B$ mesons has become more serious over the
last year. This is due to the improved quality of the data and to the
increasing maturity of the theoretical treatment of non-perturbative
corrections. We discuss various theoretical options to reduce the semileptonic
$B$ branching ratio; among the more spectacular resolutions of the apparent
puzzle is the possibility of an unorthodox enhancement in non-perturbative
corrections or even of an intervention by `New Physics'. Phenomenological
implications of such scenarios are pointed out.
