This isn't about bitcoin per se. > I’m convinced that the virtual currency itself is legitimate, > but some of the biggest bitcoin 'businesses' are gambling

This isn't about bitcoin per se. > I’m convinced that the virtual currency itself is legitimate, > but some of the biggest bitcoin 'businesses' are gambling > and Ponzi/pyramid schemes. It's about the legitimacy of 'honest and transparent' Ponzi/pyramid models. If you strip out the deceit that usually accompanies these things, are they OK? Or is there something fundamentally unethical or anti-social about this model?