You may be right, but the only thing we know about the future is that changes will take place and most of those are unpredictable.
I know what they have said, but a year from now it would not surprise me that the situation could be very different.
What is the downside of becoming an actual mining company? Sure there will be a learning curve and yes there are additional upfront costs, but if you really believe that you have a real winner on your hand, you should play it as far as you can.
There will be interesting times ahead, I already got my hard hat and safety boots ready in case