First of, I know your first statement is opinionated, but it's just funny how you portrayed gambling as this "life-changer" it's a life-changer all right, for the worse that is.

As for your questions:
1. Do Church Leaders (priests, etc.) gamble?: I think so. But I couldn't confirm, there's a good amount of them that definitely succumb to these worldly pleasures either for the entertainment or the promise of greater money, if it's the latter then they're shit out of luck.
2.  Is it right for religious leaders to gamble?: I don't think so, especially if they took vow of abstinence and celibacies as part of their priesthood, but if they were gonna gamble anyway, the question of whether it is righteous to gamble or not is just going to fly over their heads.
3. What are the ethical and moral implications of gambling??: Not going to be the right person to ask about it, as some people have pointed out, since that just makes us judges of the people who're supposed to judge us which is a little weird and counterintuitive, in any case, I think they can absolve themselves of the "crimes" they committed, or if they couldn't worse that could happen to them is to have them stripped of their priesthood and the benefits that entails being a priest. As for the ethical implications of this, we all know well that gambling isn't something that came from a noble background, the very fact that we're discussing whether it's good or not to gamble sets that point in stone already. So you're basically just asking us questions you know the answers for already. But hey, I don't discriminate.

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Any day is as risky as the day before, when investing in crypto. The volatility rate doesn't change with each subsequent period after all. But what does change is the amount you could bag up when a bull run arrives, which some people speculate is closer than we may think. Don't take my word for it though! in any case, it's always risky to invest in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as a whole. There's no definitive "profit only" cryptocurrency out there and even if there is, the market will absolutely demolish the fuck out of that coin courtesy of people flocking up to it.

So invest if you can. if you have reservations over it do not, and gather up researches first before making a move.

Exactly. It's all about the way these people use it, which is exploitative.

Just take art for example, AI prompters joining legitimate digital art contests using results from AI prompts? That's just downright scammy and fraudulent. Plus the fact that AI fetches its data from thousands of artists across the globe to create soulless, purposeless art is something that doesn't sit well with this community. As an artist myself, I get a sense of heightened confidence when I hear people tell me that my art style inspired them, or that they loved my artstyle they are trying to copy it, but in the case of AI, there's no gratitude, there's no one thanking or no one to get thanked. Which is why they are angry at AI prompters, cos this is outright stealing.

What a fucking shame I didn't see this post right away. Anyways congratulations mans for all the blessings! I can confidently say you earned it deservedly! 5 years of grueling work without assurance for what tomorrow will bring is seriously scary, but you managed to pull through because of your sheer perseverance! No luck's involved here if I do say so myself coz rain or shine bitcoin is profitable to many, I've had a few friends get their first cars, first house and lots, and whatnot during bitcoin's lowest points, all from crypto money too, so this just means the recipe was you all along my man (or woman)! Keep up the good work and I'm hoping to get another challenge from you, maybe like a yacht bought from bitcoin money or smth lmao (just kidding, unless??)

Since they are very much connected to the same internet, there's really no difference in security between the two. Both can easily be hacked and be remotely-accessed with relative ease. Plus as a matter of fact, android is catching up with apple's security nowadays. Whatever IOS has, Android can offer. Face ID? Here's Face Unlock! Fingerprint Scanner? Sure thing! Oh, a database where you can store your user data and access it from another device using a simple user/pass security? Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei, and practically every major forerunners in the Smartphone industry has it. So in the case of using your iPhone as a hard wallet coz "it's more secure than an Android" you might wanna think twice. Better to use a dedicated cold wallet instead!

Planning means nothing if your spending habits don't change. It's a fundamental thing that needs a whole character overhaul. I think it's great that OP realized the error in his ways and is out here imparting knowledge through some sort of cautionary tale but at the end of the day all of this would've been avoided if you're just a little more wise in spending your money. You literally had the vision, no one at your age and with that amount of money would ever think "Ahh this is not gonna last me a long while, better for me to invest it into something that would pay me dividends in the future so I could get my money and live happily once I retire" but when the initial dream crumbled courtesy of your investments going to shambles, you chased out of that aspiration and lived life lavishly.

This is more than just a "you shouldn't do this kids" tale, it's a literal testament to how one should follow their bright vision no matter how dire it could look initially. I'm glad that you're trying to pick up from where you left off OP, would love to see more of your posts here for updates on your journey coz this forum could always use a few success stories.

Ahh if not Greenpeace accidentally outing themselves as funded by the other cryptocurrency.

In any case, I firmly believe that we still have ways to go to make bitcoin as clean as it can be, because let's face it, there are millions if not hundreds of millions of small-time miners out there mining bitcoin with their residential electricity, which comes from the burning of fossil fuels. But the efforts that this industry did in order to combat pollution is something that I've never seen any other company or industry do in their decades of runtime. I think eco-protest groups should stop looking at bitcoin and throwing dirt at its name and actually go for big companies that are obviously the grave offenders of deteriorating the environment.

For me, without the argument of territories and legislations, mixers are as legal as they can be, although yes, there's the possibility that scammers, money-launderers, and thieves may use them to wash dirty money and make them usable after, but as it stands today exchanges are becoming even more smarter, and so are mixers.

There's also the case of people using it for crimes, but I don't believe mixers are the ones that should be persecuted, the perpetrators should be.

I've used mixers in the past to clean my cryptocurrencies and I could tell you right now even though I'd sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet that I am as trustworthy as they go. Does that give the authority grounds to arrest me? I don't think so.

At the end of the day, it's the actions thereof that are illegal, not the means that which enables the crime. If that would be the case then guns should be illegalized, knives should be, and owning wealth more than 99% of the world's population too!

I see Ordinals, infant as it may be in the industry as a game-changer. We have NFTs in multiple networks but not in the prime network that started it all, so it's about time something like it came around the corner. I could also understand people's statements regarding the "scammy" nature of Ordinals given the fact that apart from it being scribed to a Satoshi, there's not much really that is remarkable about bitcoin NFTs that sets it apart from regular NFTs per se, but that in my opinion is up for the projects that will be made in the Ordinal Protocol. We've seen cryptopunks, there's a possibility that in future renditions of bitcoin NFTs we see powerful features and benefits just like what we see now in Ethereum and other networks. I say we give it time and chance.

To their defense, FTX was once one of the most "trusted" and revered centralized exchanges in the market. It only makes sense for some detractors to keep some or even all of their assets not only as a sign of trust on the exchange but most importantly because they once believed in the ability of the exchange, although I personally wouldn't do it or advise to doing it, as the disadvantages severely outweighs the benefits.

At the end of the day, FTX is the real issue here, not the investors or whoever the fuck. They need to be put into jail and the customers be given justice as well as the shares from the money they lost in this belligerent exchange. It's his fault yes, but is it entirely his fault? Is he to blame for the collapse of the exchange and therefore the collapse of his networth as well? I don't think so.

I think there's some sense to this. Most of the time they advertise shitcoins that wouldn't really go anywhere had it not been for the fact that they are advertised or sponsored by these influential entities. In a sense it looks like manipulation with extra steps so it is quite justified for SEC to go after these people.

On the other hand you are right, it's like the government is stripping people, and celebrities for that matter of the right to be able to express what they want to express sponsored or not. Like if the situation was changed and these people were advertising idk, Mcdonalds? Will the government go after them? No, not really?

Help me digest this but is 2 grand that enough in Uganda to set someone for life?

Also, he may have gained enough money to set himself for life in Uganda but the angered church gatherers and those who followed him in his Pastor days will definitely get his ass someday. Props to being honest but that's never going to justify taking advantage of people who are probably impoverished themselves all because you can't find a good job to feed and support your family. This is scamming with extra levels if I do say so myself lmao.

Evangelists are definitely a different breed of scammers if I do say so myself, his is a very unique specimen. I hope he gets his retribution no matter how funny this story is. People's lives are deffo ruined after hearing the fact.

I've been aware of what happened with ChipMixer, as some of my online friends who I talked about in my previous post informed me of such, it only makes sense after all since they are looking at the project closely all these years. In any case, it's true, nothing lasts forever, people should expect the unexpected yada-yada but to Chipmixer's credit, everyone was blindsided by this situation considering that they are one of the longest running campaigns here.

But yeah going back to Mr. Chymist's main post, even if we follow the current pay rate per week that most campaigns here in the forum provide, you'd still be able to live a pretty well-off life. $100 each among the 5 members of the team is going to last a long way especially if these people know how to manage their stuff, since most high expenses you'd incur in a setting like that will be from monthly expenditures like rent and utilities anyway.

Well this "mistake" so to speak could still be rectified by buying back bitcoin even at this price point. You could still recover losses in future pumps if ever, but you wouldn't be able to buy back losses anymore if you don't do anything today. As it stands bitcoin is showing good signs of a possible price pump for at least a good while, enabling everyone to still be able to take in profits if ever. In that case you just made the right choice. buying back and not letting the regret of panic selling get the best of you.

Although there's some truth to your statement in the sense that you could be targeted by the government and all that stuff, I think you're being a little pessimistic and cynical too with the way you dismiss the possibility of cryptocurrency not being regulated but allowed to operate. For instance, cryptocurrency was able to dodge this dilemma a few years ago, and I do believe with enough effort from the people, US government will stop putting their hands on what's ours.

in the Philippines primarily, where stuff is still relatively cheaper compared to other parts of the world. 5 roommates could easily live on $1500/week, which is approximately around PHP80000. That alone could cover full month's rent on a relatively well-off neighborhood ($1000 per month), meals that could suffice a family of 5 for a week ($200-300), and utilities (approximately around $300 monthly for electricity, water, gas, and internet). With most of these expenses going towards monthly charges, you could expect that a payment of $1500 per week is more than enough to last a team of 5 people even if they have to share from that money. Which is also consequently the reason why some of my online friends from the Philippines are doing their batshit hardest to be able to join Chipmixer's campaign, they sometimes call it the "holy grail" even.

Edit: If you're looking to acquire citizenship in the Philippines permanently as a foreign citizen, Naturalization is the way to go. I find that this particular video's the most informative out of all I looked up.
3 WAYS YOU CAN BECOME A NATURALIZED FILIPINO CITIZEN!!!

Reputable casinos wouldn't resort to this type of one-upping for the very reason that they don't need to. The game is already stacked against the player and all they just had to do is operate it so why would they make the game even harder to win at and potentially destroy their reputation from their potential users and current customers right?

So in that regard, ask yourself, Am I playing in a reputable casino? Will the casino I play in really go so low as to cheat on its players to secure big bags despite the fact that the games they already have here are stacked against the player? If your answer is yes to the second question, time to avoid that gambling site and switch up for another.

This is one of the most basic and most fatal mistakes you could commit to your budding business as a learning entrepreneur, not keeping tabs and checks of your financial records. As what OP have said, that's how you know if over time, your business is bleeding money or it's turning a profit, as well as what product/service the problem/blessing is coming from. Not only will a financial record help you keep track of how your business is growing, it also helps you formulate plans that are in line with what you need at the moment, instead of rushing in and changing things from your business blindly and belligerently. You can never go wrong with keeping records of expenses and profits really. That's going to be your best friend if you're an entrepreneur that recently just started, heck even seasoned entrepreneurs know how important this is.

Well. Inflation really. It plays a really large role in making it hard to save and collect money by making money less valuable and thus, you'd need more of it to buy stuff that back then would've costed a lot cheaper. Add to this the fact that the mean salary rate across the world still remains below the inflation rate, meaning you literally lose more money over time than you earn because the rate at which money loses value is faster compared to the rate in which salary increases.

All of this plus a couple other factors contribute to the current difficulty in earning money that we are facing, I myself experience it, stuff that usually wouldn't have costed that much like groceries and stuff are now breaking the bank, and my salary is not increasing. This is why investing and saving your money is one of the best ways to increase wealth, because not only does it give you profit, it also protects your money against inflation.