Reliability, battery life, OS optimization, long term support.
These things may be normal for today’s android handsets, but back when I switched from the Samsung Galaxy S6 to the iPhone, they definitely weren’t the norm. I went through about 6 different android phones, got into custom roms and bootloaders, did all that fancy stuff. I got real comfortable with it and I got used to the idea that my phone app might just lock up randomly for no reason. Or my GPS app would freeze when I’m miles and miles away from civilization. I got tired of troubleshooting and stuff and I just wanted something reliable.
What is better, offering that skin for a one-time price or putting it in a random box and selling a chance at getting the skin? Let’s say the regular price is $20. Now if the gambling gave a guarantee at around $25, it might be ethical because you could get the skin much earlier and “save” some money. But these companies aren’t doing that (at least not to my knowledge) because they are predatory and not ethical by nature. If they were, they would offer items for a one-time price AND the opportunity to gamble for it with a chance to get it much cheaper.