The reason mixers are imposters as opposed to alternatives is that you can deposit and withdraw from web services like an exchange or casino to gain the same (arguably, more) confidentiality a mixer provides, without the fees imposed.
That's true for online casinos unless you have to undergo KYC before they allow you to withdraw the money, which happens very often. Another thing you should remember is that casinos don't allow people to use their services as mixers. They have wagering requirements, asking that players roll over their deposits x number of times. For sports betting, a good site will apply only 1x. For casino games, it can be 1-3x, maybe more. But if it's your casino or you are close to the people operating it, it's a good way to exchange coin histories.
If we are talking about centralized exchanges, you don't get any privacy there. Almost every service nowadays requires KYC plus they will enlist the service of a blockchain analysis company to find out even more about you.