But yes, sadly most retail investors don't know what they're doing and end up gambling.4.

Over the last decade, that gamble paid off and significantly helped grow my net worth and investable cash.  

Simple -- the fraudulent actions and misrepresentations you reference are against statutes and contractual terms. 

That's gambling people. 

My gamble is, about the time I get this cabin designed and built, the Airbnb market is back on the upswing.

Besides all the issues with Ocean Point LLC, Morris, and fraudulent activity why didn't you just flip it??

Let's say your mortgage company forgot to bill you one month but you sent the payment anyway, and then the next month after you made payment they said "we didn't receive your payment" and you collectively found that your payments were stolen and fraudulently cashed.

This is where expert due diligence comes in, so as to avoid gambling away your business.Expert due diligence is crucial when it comes to business transactions.

Punitive damages may also be awarded where the disclosing party shows intentional harmful conduct by the receiving party, such as a plan to fraudulently obtain information from the very beginning.

That question will require an essay to answer every part of your question :) With stocks, you mostly gamble on appreciation.