Let's be honest - the reason why people are willing to put blind faith in these operators boils down to greed.
Greed is the constant, yessir. One thing I admire about the Bitcoin design philosophy is that greed appears to have been in mind during the process, hence irreversible payments. No amount of design can protect people from their own shortcomings or inability to employ common sense.
If you wouldn't bet the amount you're placing in Bitcoin schemes at the casino, then you need to consider how catastrophic the failure of your investment would be to your real life.
I have a feeling that a fairly high percentage of users
would put the rent in a slot machine if given half a chance.