Gringo and PariAction,
Maybe the other countries won't help out a player after he gets scammed, but what they can do is to make it harder for that to happen by requiring escrow accounts, financial reporting, minimum capitalization, etc.
If the law of a country requires certain standards, then a player can be sure that a book operating there meets those standards. With Costa Rican books, a player can only go by what he reads here or on the site or word of mouth. I am not doubting that there are lots of solid books in CR. All I am saying is that all else being equal, a player is more secure in a regulated environment.
And I have no sympathy for the books operating out of CR because security and regulation costs money and the CR books are getting a free ride by being in a mafia free-for-all environment. They gain by not having to pay the taxes and follow the rules of the stricter countries but they lose because of guys like me who point out that a player is taking greater risks there, not to mention the reality of that being true even if I didn't point it out.