In-game purchase are a popular way for developers and publishers to make money, especially through mechanisms such as loot boxes. However it seems that the lure of in-app purchases are more than what some can handle, which in the case of a Utah librarian resulted in him embezzling $89,000 in public money which he then used towards Game of War.
According to a report from The Herald Journal, investigators found that Adam Winger, the former director of the North Logan City library in Utah, had purchased hundreds of gift cards from Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play, most of which was put towards in-app purchases in the mobile game, Game of War.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Winger had used personal and city credit cards, and he had also faked invoices to cover his tracks. Winger has since pleaded guilty to theft and forgery and was recently sentenced to 30 days in jail, 100 hours of community service, and was also required to pay a restitution of $78,000 as part of his deal. Apparently to pay off that debt, Winger was forced to sell his house and drain his retirement fund.
There are many games similar to Game of War, where gamers are encouraged to make in-app purchases in order to speed up certain aspects of the game, such as collecting in-game resources, finishing up a building, and so on.
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