[webmonarch]

[ QUOTE ]
You make a good point.

You could also just as well say that all grocery stores have a motivation to empty your bank account or run your credit card up to the limit as soon as you buy with a credit or debit card. They have a motivation to actually charge you $2000 for $20 worth of groceries.

For some odd reason, they don't do this. I wonder why?

[/ QUOTE ]

Chris,

First, thanks for reading and understanding the argument. You're already well ahead of the vast majority of posters in this thread.

The answer to your question is simple: detection and regulation.

If the grocery store charged you $2000 for $20 of groceries, you would notice. Even if not at the store, you would notice it on your credit card bill later. Furthermore, the store has certain regulations that keep it in line, i.e. health regulations, pricing regulations, and a variety of consumer protection statutes.

The other thing about the store vs. poker is the "identifiable value." That is, if the store only has bad vegetables, you'd know they were bad, and you would go somewhere else. In poker, that's not really the case. You expect to have some bad runs and unlucky breaks. Because there is no "standard" unlucky streak or whatever, players have less (indeed, probably zero) ability to determine that you are not getting good quality from the provider, especially if the modifications are so tiny.

Finally, I want to reiterate something (not to you, but in general):

<font color="red"> I am not accusing any site of engaging in these "playing field leveling" activities. </font>

We are talking about the motivation and ability to do so.