Are social casino apps just an expensive way to look at flashing lights?

I keep seeing endless ads for these mobile slot games that claim to be free to play but constantly prompt you to buy virtual coin packages. You aren't even gambling for real cash payouts. Who is actually spending money on these virtual machines, and what is the appeal?

A lot of people play them as a convenient substitute for going to a physical casino. My aunt spends maybe twenty bucks a month on virtual coin packages. She considers it her casual entertainment budget, very similar to buying a few scratch-off lottery tickets or going to the movies.

The psychology behind these applications is engineered to keep you engaged through near-misses and progressive unlock mechanics. They operate in a gray area where the gameplay mimics gambling, but the virtual currency holds absolutely no real-world value. Some developers use complex sweepstakes models, confusing users about what they are actually purchasing. While looking into the user retention strategies of mobile slot developers, I read discussions about spin sorcery https://spin-sorcery.pissedconsumer.com/review.html to understand how these virtual economies function. Ultimately, the consensus is that the digital VIP tiers users pay to unlock simply vanish if the server ever shuts down.