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Precisely. But there is a deeper ethical issue here that concerns me as a professor. In Brazil, we are currently having a massive national debate about 'Bets' (online gambling) and how they predatory target the uneducated. It is almost an issue for public health.
These 'cloud mining' apps on Google Play operate in a similar gray area. By charging 1500% over the spot price, they aren't selling 'mining'; they are selling a 'financial illusion'.
It’s effectively a tax on the lack of mathematical literacy. When an app targets retail users with 'fidelity multipliers' and 'GHz' to hide a 94% guaranteed loss, it crosses the line from 'gamification' to 'predatory deception'. As engineers and early adopters, I believe we have a duty to expose these 'negative sum games' before they tarnish Bitcoin's reputation as a tool for financial freedom. Isn't there a more ethical way to monetize these apps?
I've never done one of the cloud mining things, but I think you've got it exactly: it probably is never better than just buying bitcoin at spot prices when you have the extra fiat.
I'd add one hypothesis to the ones you already have listed:
I think some people just want to experiment with mining or participate in it and there is some allure to it even if it's one of these scammy cloud mining operations.