First, of course taking a rake is illegal in my area!! The very game itself is illegal in my area!! But that dosen't stop anybody from playing.
Second, of course I'm doing it to make a profit!! As I said in my first post, none of these people are close friends. When I have a tourny for friends, I NEVER charge anything!!
Third, it dosen't cost PartyPoker $1K to hold a MTT every night of the friggin' week, but they sure charge it!! They've decided that their market of players can bear the cost of $1 for a chance at alot more. Now, if i could fit 250 people in my garage, I'd only charge $1 too.