Live dealer games have become one of the more popular trends emerging in the online casino industry. What started off less than 10 years ago as a niche catering primarily to the Asian markets has become one of the more lucrative and interesting types of game at the leading online casinos. Live dealer casino games are actually hosted either at a real B&M casino or at a studio.
One of the main reasons live dealers started being common at online casinos was the trust issue. In the early days of the Internet people simply did not trust the Random Number Generator and did not believe it was fair and not fixed. This is unlike a bricks and mortar casino where everything was on the table. Like the common saying, seeing is believing! Not seeing the dealers’ face made it difficult for players to trust online casinos.
The early live dealer casino versions were rather crude and didn’t offer the best player experience. Streaming was very slow due to narrow band width and technological limitations. This resulted in poor results on the players’ end, making the medium unattractive to most online casino players. The recent years’ technological advancement regarding all aspects of live video streaming have tremendously improved the outcome of live online casino gaming making this a more and more popular way to play.
Most online casinos outsource their live casino games and the main technology developers that offer these services are Playtech, Microgaming and Evolution Gaming, so you will probably see the same live casino games at different online casinos. Because the operating costs of this kind of internet gambling are higher and the margins lower than the standard RNG games, this is the only business model so far that has proven itself profitable to the developers and online casino operators.
The main games offered at online casinos in the live dealer format are roulette, blackjack, baccarat, sic bo and casino hold’em. The most popular by far are generally roulette and blackjack.
When starting off playing live dealer casino games you can choose the table and dealer you prefer. Dealers are generally very good looking women, however there are also a few pretty handsome men around to keep the ladies happy. The live dealer leads the game, just like at a land based casino and due to this must be extremely well trained and knowledgeable. If you have the sound on the computer turned on you will be able to hear all the ongoings in the studio and even the live dealer wishing you luck.
Most of the live dealer casinos operate from regulated jurisdictions and are licensed in the Isle of Man, Alderney, Antigua & Barabuda and others. The cards dealt to players are as random as would be dealt at a land based casino so even if you still don’t trust the random number generators, this doesn’t need to be a consideration when playing.
As far as bonuses and promotions are concerned, most online casinos don’t tend to offer special bonuses and promotions especially for players who prefer playing live casino games, however the regular bonuses and promos apply to the live casino games, just like any other game.