with exchanges going down - trading is same as gambling imo - or even worse 
I disagree with you. IMO exchange sites aren't down (Poloniex was down a little bit today because of stellar coin was too insane), there are few coins which rising too today. Trading is not same with gambling, trading needs more skills compared gambling which only depends from your luck. But if one don't have a trading knowledge then it is almost same as gambling because they may be buying and selling just based on guessing things. When people do the trading by only guessing, then it is almost same a gambling because in those trade they need only luck to make money. But if one got some knowledge then they will have a better chance of making money from trading compared to gambling.