I respect your hypothesis but you assume wannabe sheriffs will zap without concern for what they're zapping. I can imagine them reducing concern but I find this less probable than them just spending more on stuff that they like (or simply donating the sats to rewards).

I think you also underestimate the disincentive to spend at all. These kinds of games are designed to counteract a very strong disincentive. The disincentive creates the signal, sure, but if it's too high content creators/sourcers don't have incentive to create/source.

There's a balance to strike and we are experimenting to get there.

We are trying to increase spending. Engagement is likely both a cause and effect of spending though.