It absolutely does, because monetization leads to weaponization of patterns of addiction.
Key things Balatro does not have, that make it a poor example of the problem of addictive games:
1. Monetization. See above.
2. Anything timed. At all. No hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly anything. Nothing that tries to coerce you into reopening the app, aside from "I want to play Balatro now".
3. Lootbox cosmetics. All cosmetics are deterministic. All unlocks are part of gameplay. The collection tracker is dependent on obtaining items (mostly cards) at random, but is focused on the challenge aspect to diversify gameplay: rather than "can you get these cards" it asks "can you win with these cards".
Balatro does belong in a nuanced discussion of how we often conflate addictiveness and fun, and how that presents itself in media and games, but that's not because it's a particularly egregious example of weaponizing addiction.
