Pardon my ignorance. What is the benefit / purpose of the license besides added revenue for whatever municipality the rental is in? Is there some kind of inspection or background check process?
One obvious benefit is that the owner or lessor of the place being sublet on Airbnb is often a party to contracts with their community that forbid short-term rentals; for instance, the owners of condominiums have a responsibility shared with all the other owners of condominiums not to compromise everyone's quiet enjoyment expectations by turning their place into a hostel.
Is this a serious question? It allows an area to be in control of how many short term rentals are being made, and where they are, and how often they are available.