re: Priest arrested for allegedly spending $40K in church funds on Candy Crush.

It’s basically the same approach as OF. I can see how effective it can be for people without any sense of money. The game Arnold Schwarzenegger used to peddle set all of these in motion 15 years ago.

They’d start with the F2P, then try to lure you into a track. First it was an upgrade for 4.99, then 19.99, then 49.99, then 99.99. Once you were on that path it was almost a concierge type service because you’d choose clans. Unbeknownst to the user, the clan had game staff that would engage and socialize with you. Once that connection was made, they’d hook you with mandatory upgrades before each event. People continued upgrading because didn’t want to get kicked from the clans for failing to progress and lose that social connections they “built”.