Yes bitcoin mining is real, Bitcoin mining is very expensive and unless you’re a millionaire I suggest you find something else to do to earn bitcoins. There are lots of challenges miners face, first you have to buy the necessary hardware and you also need electricity for your farm, nowadays you need to confirm if bitcoin mining is allowed in your region.
Never trust the freebies. There’s nothing free on the chess board only gambits, it’s sad you lost your money hoping to get a bigger reward but it’s a good lesson to have as a beginner. People often fall for cloud mining scams because they feel it’s a cheaper way to get Bitcoins. Personally I think the era of accumulating free bitcoins from online games, faucets, are long gone. In 2022, the only way to get bitcoin is to buy some.