This is categorically incorrect. You can have any amount of ETH (up to 32 because there's no value in going higher) and be a validator participant if you partake in a pool.
As I understand it, staking ETH in a pool doesn't mean you get to act as a validator in any capacity. That's handled by whoever is running the pool.
Sure, but that doesn't make the difference between getting a lottery ticket and not getting one. If you have 1 ETH in the pool when the validator hits, you get the corresponding fraction of the award, minus the pool fee.
There are validator pools that let people stake smaller values.
I mean......isn't that any lottery? People who buy 100k lotto tickets have an undeniably higher chance of winning than people who bought a single ticket. Here it's the same - the higher your stake the higher the chances. But you don't need to stake all 32 eth to participate.
And more money at stake gives you more participation. It's not just a lottery for the rich, it's Capitalism unmasked