Buying skins in a game is the same thing as buying fashionable/brand-name clothes. Gambling is different.
I did something similar with World of Warcraft, buying a level boost that I ended up not using, just to "round out my character list." It was a low point in my life and I will never go back to that behavior.
I recognize these games can be used and enjoyed responsibly, just not by me and that's okay.
Hearthstone lowered that barrier significantly, and I still consider it an excellent game, aside from the predatory/monetary trappings. I might still play it if it could be done with real magic at my dinner table with friends, for a one-time flat fee or for the caloric cost to summon all the components, assuming some reasonable magic system.
As it is now, I like playing Cribbage with my wife, and am looking forward to teaching our daughter how to play Chess, Go, Backgammon, Arimaa, and any other game that isn't packaged in a predatory wrap.
Smoker before smoking is widely recognized as an addiction:
> I recognize these herbs can be use and enjoyed responsibly, just not by me and that's okay.
Ok, tbh, not all games and gaming are addictive. Though a big proportion is, with the rest being wasting one's life, as defined by a certain set of moral values. Though that is not yet a crime.
And the odds of the machine were rigged and personalized to you, which is illegal in real gambling
Now you just buy what you want.
Like you go into a store and buy a Gucci wallet. You go into the Overwatch store and buy the latest One Piece Collab.
No slot machine or anything.
Not sure if you're into buying designer stuff, but that industry is going in a similar-ish direction.
People buy a bunch of undesirable crap just so they can be put on the VIP list and maaaaybe get the opportunity to purchase the actually desirable products at a far below market price.
Not sure if Gucci themselves do this, but I know Rolex and at least one of the big handbag brands (Hermes?) operate this way.
It’s not a good fit either: A game company can terminate your account and you lose it all.
Depending on the game, but in some you also cannot resell or transfer your skins. Therefore the only thing of value is the account, but terms of service also make this a non-starter.
What’s consistent here is that the business model revolves around feeding and addiction and relying in said addicts (aka, whales).