Ah yeah, the pure casino faucets were always the problematic ones especially for those who would go for 990x or even higher. I think some removed but others made it remain, but with certain conditions that count for abuse. I think the problem as you say became a big one in 2017 when waves of faucet abusers came online and sucked faucets and casino faucets dry..
Well, smart casinos nowadays limit the faucet claims to zero balances. Sure, there are those lucky ones that might still cashout but they're the minority.
If there's no faucet, how do they expect players to stay loyal if they don't get to enjoy with whatever they have? Plus, the higher minimum withdrawal is not an issue if you're planning to stay.