r0ach,

Thank you. I think your analysis is valuable, though I'm still not convinced. I need to think about it more. May I ask if you think the same way as for other Blockchain 2.0 initiatives?

Meanwhile I am still in search of good answers as regards what the possible use cases might be for smart contracts, which will prove to be superior to the equivalent centralized applications. Gambling is one of them. But if that is all, it doesn't make smart contracts very revolutionary.

And one more thing. Even if Ethereum et al will not be useful, calling them scam is still an extreme view. In order for them to be scam projects, the developer team should know about the consequences and disguise the hidden worthlessness of their product under embellished promises. As for Ethereum, all they say is that the platform will allow decentralized applications, and this is a fairly good description of what they have already delivered.