I like to think about regulation as forced market acceptance. Where some coins might be a great idea and could potentially change the world, mass acceptance is what wins the profits at the end of the day.
Historical ref: Nikola Tesla vs. Big Oil for energy development.
Nikola Tesla wanted a way to give electricity to people without going through power companies. He was shutdown before the tech got out.
Cryptocurrency gives people money without going through a bank. The genie is already out of the bottle.
I am not really disagreeing with you, I totally agree mass adoption and acceptance can get you some profits although you could have made a lot of money already without it.