I love playing slot tournaments, but in many casinos the only winners are those who bet big all day long. I just can't afford that kind of workload. Are there any tournaments that are evenly matched or at least have a proper scoring system?

Yes, at Pin Up app tournaments are organized competently. They often launch competitions where not the bet amounts are taken into account, but the winning multipliers - that is, even if you play 10, but caught x500, it counts. I myself took 3rd place in such a tournament, just playing at the minimum. The prizes were real - I received free spins and a cash bonus. The system is transparent, the results are visible in real time.