Your comparion of crack to Splinterlands can be applied to anything. All gaming is addictive, MTG included. As for ROI, it was mention due to your claims of the $10 fee not being worth it and your added claims that it cost too much to be competitive. I see selection bias in your responses. I find your own words, "ts funny how much low hanging fruit people pick to make apples to oranges comparison", very fitting for your response.

Keep the sardonicism, it doesn't bother me as I do the same myself.

As for some paying the fee and others not. That is normal in any company. I worked as an affilaite for many different companies and its not uncommon for X people to get A deal while Z people get B deal and the masses get C deal. Its a form of marketing that helps brings eyes to the product when done correctly. For example, if the person who got a free Splinterlands account(s) did affilate work than giving them free accounts to hand out to investors could be positive ROI and/or Positive PR. You are painting things black and white but such things can't be painted as such.