In the early days, it was easier to be a miner. There were fewer miners around. As the bitcoin universe has expanded, however, more people are after the finite digital gold, just as in real gold prospecting. People have banded together, created “pools”, sharing ever more expensive hardware, processing capability and even electricity costs that go with finding those precious bitcoin golden nuggets. You see, it isn’t easy to find a bitcoin. The easier days are over. The view on the street now is that “only the biggest centralized miners will profit.”

It actually exploded everywhere because at these prices (eth: $350, zec: $400) it's so damn profitable.

To be honest, this is a very good business opportunity for those who know who to set up the hardware and overclock the card. I am quoting in where i live and someone will charge 15% on the mining profit + installation cost. I mean with the fee they are charging, it is even higher than cloud mining.