We live in an age where automation is increasingly replacing human interaction. We use machines or apps to do our banking, we scan our own shopping at the supermarket, we even pay the pump directly when refueling the car. The live casino phenomenon is a rare example of the opposite, where humans are taking over from machines – and that’s just one of the reasons they are probably the most popular innovation in the online casino world.
What is live casino gaming?
With a live game, an online casino offers you a traditional experience, where you interact with a real dealer dealing physical cards or spinning a real roulette wheel. Live casinos were developed in a bid to make online casinos more realistic, and more of an experience, akin to visiting a casino in the real world.
Unsurprisingly, live casinos saw a perceptible spike in popularity during the unprecedented events of 2020 and 2021 when physical casinos were closed or operated with severe restrictions. Gamblers had shifted to cyberspace through necessity, but longed for as real a casino experience as possible.
The casino operators were quick to realize just how important a part of their portfolio live gaming was becoming. Bonus offers are most often linked to slot games, but with this change in the tide, many live casinos even started offering different kinds of bonuses as an incentive for players to join their casino and enjoy the live experience there. And many third-party advertisers were quick to display all these different bonuses in their designated live casino top-lists like here for example.
A wide choice of games
Live casinos are broadcast from a studio that is decked out just like a real casino. But the games can be joined by players from all over the world. It gives the casino the opportunity to offer a much wider choice of games than you’ll find in your average casino. And whatever the time of day, there will always be a table open and a dealer at the ready.
The casino classics like blackjack, roulette, baccarat and craps are, the most popular. But you’ll also find other games to try, ranging from less common card games like dragon tiger or Caribbean stud poker to TV-inspired games like Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal.
Social gaming at its best
The social aspect of live gaming should not be underestimated. If you’ve ever played blackjack or 3-card poker at a real casino, you’ll know that chatting to the dealer is all part of the experience. With a live casino, you can see and hear the dealer, but it’s not one-way traffic. There’s a chat window that allows you to type messages to the dealer too.
Better trust
A casino is a place that’s full of superstition. Players like to see the ball set in motion, or the cards shuffled in a certain way. To put it frankly, many are a little suspicious of the random number generators that operate an automated casino game on your screen. They feel more at ease seeing a real human dealing cards out of a shoe.
An enhanced mobile experience
The past five years have seen a shift towards mobile as the platform of choice for getting online, whether it’s to check social media, send an email, do your banking or, indeed, to visit a casino. That has presented something of a challenge for live casino gaming.
As recently as two or three years ago, running a live stream on your smartphone required something of a leap of faith. Not only was it pushing the boundaries of most mobile handsets in terms of processing power, but there were potential connectivity issues, especially if you were connected to the internet through your mobile connection as opposed to a local WiFi network.
All that has changed immeasurably with the latest generation of smartphones. Even those at the budget end of the spectrum have processors that are comparable with a basic laptop, and the roll out of 5G is gradually consigning patchy signals to history – that’s particularly important if you’re in the middle of a live blackjack game!
Looking to the future
Live gaming has done more to close the gap between virtual and physical casinos than anything else. Yet the technology is still relatively new. Look out for further innovation in the months ahead. Examples might include more direct interaction with the dealer and fellow players via your own webcam and the introduction of yet more new games. From traditional card game like bridge to new TV-inspired games like The Chase, anything is possible!