Not having KYC in a gambling site is a very good way to get shut down. I've been in the industry since 2009 and not having proper protocols for KYC and AML means that at virtually anytime, your license can be revoked or your assets can be frozen if a regulator believes you have been assisting in money laundering.
Of course it is an inconvenience and we would prefer to not include it, but these are the things that we need to live with as a licensed gaming operator.
Depends on what you are talking about in "shutdown", sure maybe it will be "banned" in some nations, but if you do your own servers, and get the domain in proper places, I can guarantee you that you will be staying available forever. The thing about KYC is to be as legit as it gets and as safe and secure as it can become, that is the reason, not shutdown reasons. Hell there are darknets where illegal stuff happens, which shows you that it is actually not that weird to have a casino without KYC because it is not THAT illegal at least.
However would you prefer to be a place with KYC and a lot of legality and sponsorship in big places type of deal, or would you rather be a casino that runs away from officials as much as possible? Of course not, so everyone "prefers" that their legality would be there and it would definitely be something more understandable.