But I believe we all know that this can actually lead some gamblers into spending more than what they afford to loose on the casino while trying to become like the whales and get better chances at the top during contests like this...
I've heard of a story of a gambler, when the casino he was very used to gambling on launched a contest like this, he determined withing himself to get something from the contest, he spent all he had and even borrowed, he made it to third place in the table of winners, but quickly fell off when there was no longer any money to spend to hold his place, the contest ended with him in the 28th place, according to those who knew the dude, it was a devastating experience for him.
It usually take discipline and self control to not want to go all in on contests like this, specially when one feel entitled to something from the casino.
You are absolutely right about this one! These contests are created to make players play even more... that's why there are so many different contests (daily, weekly, monthly, and other promotions) in all casinos.
Sometimes we go into it with intent, we play hard and we get to the top of the list... but to maintain the place we need to continue playing, so even if we lose we deposit more. Sometimes that pays off, but on many other occasions, we lose money, end up in some lower place, and get a prize that is worth nothing. Sometimes it's spontaneous, we play and we see we have a good place and decide to hold it... once we get into the fire it's hard to stop. I experienced all that too many times...
It's hard to compete with whales, sometimes they push us off the list in the last hours of the competition... no matter how hard we try with the limited budget/balance. So yes, it takes discipline & self-control to not get into it a fire, because it's hard to win.