I agree. Tacky. This year we did the dirty Santa thing with one of the groups we belong to. Limit was 15 dollar gift. We spent 20 on one and 15 on the other. We got something that was obviously regifted a couple of times. There were gifts there could not have possibly been worth 15 dollars.
If people can't afford to play, then they shouldn't. We had others there who didn't play. We did not play last year. These are grownups, not children.