... contemplating whether to take up one of the many offers I've received from people who seem happy to set up offshore companies that will run JD legally, while I have exclusive control of the server and the day-to-day running of operations
...but I guess I'll get back into the game at some point.
I am happy to hear that you are at least considering to get back in the game. As you said, "Trust" is the primary concern, not the software. There are just no dice site one can trust nowadays, the bitcoin community does need JD (you) back.