Licensing is an LOL movement. You have to be licensed now in the US to CUT HAIR. The licensing processes forces a lot of people into hair cutting schools that cost them $20k+ to end up at great clips making minimum wage plus tips. It's a complete joke. God forbid somebody gets a bad hair cut, which still happens today at the "licensed" Great Clips. What happened to standing on your reputation?

Personally, I believe licensing has benefits, but only in the short run. In the long run, the licensing process allows the government to flex their muscles. Keep entities they like in and ones against them out. It allows them to have more control, by tightening licensing rules and restrictions. Basically, in the long run, licensing gives the incompetent government control.

In the short run, yes customers will get burnt, but Pokerstars built a great reputation without US licensing. Hell due to government licensing restrictions, they might not even be allowed to operate here if and when it ever does get legalized in the US. Government licensing is great for the short sited, but the free market is better for the long term. There's no rule that says that if the government legalized online gambling and THEY didn't license it that they couldn't go after the corrupt sites. It doesn't have to be a licensed industry to prosecute shady operators. It just needs to be legal. Last I checked it was never OK to steal licensed or not.