Live Casino Offers
Faced with the massive popularity of live dealer games, online casinos have followed suit and adapted. Most of them have added live casino games to their usual catalogue of slot machines, jackpots, sports betting and tournaments. But beware, not everything in this world is equal! Live games represent a significant investment for those who want to keep up with the times. These games are indeed resource-intensive and require a much greater technological sophistication than classic games.
As a result, some casinos have taken to live gaming at a minimum, dragging their feet. They offer a limited catalogue and games of questionable quality. The share of players indifferent to live gaming is declining, so the future of such operators looks rather bleak. Aware of the stakes and requirements, most online casinos are however making the effort to offer a really interesting online gaming catalogue, which they develop with a specialized software partner. A handful of companies dedicated to live games actually hold the gaming offer in this market.
And we can share with you a secret by indicating how and where to find such reliable live casino interfaces tested and assessed by the gambling industry experts that you can trust.
These game creators are in fierce competition with each other, especially since the most advanced and ambitious online casinos no longer hesitate to offer not one, but multiple live game partnerships and software on their platform. The same goes for slot machines. If you are a fan of live games, these casinos are therefore to be targeted first. Within them, you will find a large number of live games and several software developers to play at your full and complete convenience.
How to Choose a Live Dealer Casino?
If you want to play live games, you need to choose a casino that will give you access to these games in the best conditions.
There is no such thing as the best live casino, although there is obviously a leading group. The important thing is to select the casino that best fits your criteria. Here’s what you should include in your considerations.
Games
This is the most important! There are a few questions you need to ask to separate the wheat from the chaff:
- Does the casino offer many different live games, such as roulette, blackjack, poker, or baccarat?
- Do they come in many different variations? Classic, fast, VIP for example.
- Are the games delivered in the best way, in a nice design, with professional and friendly dealers?
- Are there other original live games, such as wheels of fortune, game shows?
Technology
A great game is nothing if the technical platform does not follow. There are a few things to check when testing a casino. First of all, the smoothness of the streaming in the highest possible definition. Also check if the game software is correctly inserted into the site pages, i.e. without display bugs, without unfortunate IP restrictions, and that the game launch does not send you to a site outside the casino.
General Approval
Some online casinos and live software have expertise that will enhance your gaming experience. Are the games available in your language? Can you launch and test the games without having to deposit funds or make real bets? Good questions to ask yourself. The quality of the mobile version is also important. Test the mobile versions of the live casino, whether they are delivered directly in a browser or through the installation of an App. The best online casinos offer mobile versions that are just as pleasant and efficient as on a regular computer. This also applies to their live games.
The Online Casino Itself
Finally, be sure to consider the overall quality of the online casino, aside from its live offering. Here are the qualities you should look for:
- Security;
- Ergonomics;
- Legal license;
- Large catalogue of games;
- Competitive welcome bonuses.
On the subject of bonuses, note that many casinos have wagering requirements on bonuses, which have low or no payout percentages on live games. But as a general rule, a casino that performs well on as many of the above points as possible will probably be an excellent choice if it also offers a catalogue of live games.
Live Casino Games
In the world of live casinos, the most exciting and immersive games are the same as in a real gaming room. These are the star table and card games that are well-known to the general public.
Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the world’s best-known casino games and has been featured in many movies. This game has simple rules that allow you to play against the bank, trying to get your hand as close to 21 points as possible. Blackjack offers a nice balance between simplicity and tactics, chance and strategy, which appeals to both beginners and experienced players. It is therefore natural that it has become an essential game in the live casino. Its visual and practical environment is also highly compatible with an online mode of play, where players face the dealer and the distribution of hands is always clearly visible.
Roulette
Roulette is probably the best-known casino game in the world and one of the most popular with the vast majority of players. Roulette’s strengths are its childlike simplicity, and its visual appeal. All these qualities are found without any loss in the live versions. It is almost as easy to understand the bets and follow the games in front of a screen as it is in person. Most online casino players who are new to live casino play start with this game.
Baccarat
Baccarat is a classic game with a long history that has made a name for itself in live games. The rules of baccarat are quite complex, with players competing against the bank and having to bet between 3 possible ways of winning the bets – the bank, the player, or a draw. Experienced casino players, therefore, love baccarat as it proves exciting for those who understand the rules. It allows to express a part of the strategy and to meet between connoisseurs, the novice players gathering rather on a table of blackjack or roulette. These attractions also explain the popularity of live baccarat on gaming sites.
Poker, Sic BO, and Original Games
Over time, live game publishers have embraced the full range of live table games. In poker, the live games focus on simple and fast variants to accommodate the limitations of online play. Texas Hold’em and Caribbean Stud Poker take the lion’s share. Other games like Hi-Lo or Sib Bo also have their fans. Hi-Lo appeals to novices – it is a simple bet on whether the next card placed by the dealer will be higher or lower than the previous one. Sic Bo attracts many players from different backgrounds as it is halfway between a craps game and roulette. There are also many different dice games.
Live Casino Software Providers
Evolution Gaming. First and foremost. Evolution Gaming has built a solid reputation in a live casino. The majority of online casinos trust it to offer live casino games to their players. Evolution Gaming has made the choice to focus solely on live games; a choice that pays off! The quality of the gaming environments, the dealers, the high-performance streaming; everything is there. The game catalogue is very extensive; the company covers all table and card games in many variants and languages.
NetEnt. This name is well known to all slot machine fans. But NetEnt hasn’t missed the live train either. NetEnt is only a few steps behind Evolution Gaming in terms of market share. The quality of the live experience of NetEnt games is impeccable. One suspect is that the game developer is pulling out all the stops to climb back up the rankings; NetEnt’s power and scale are a big help in doing so.
Ezugi. This is a new player in the industry that has not finished making a name for itself. Ezugi is a relatively new company, founded in 2012. It currently equips around a hundred online casinos, with around twenty live games from 9 different studios. Especially since Ezugi shows high performance in the field of live mobile casino. Ezugi is now owned by Evolution Gaming. The market leader didn’t let the opportunity to lure a potential competitor into its net pass by.
Pragmatic Play. This is an online casino heavyweight that is more than holding its own in the live segment. Pragmatic Play is best known for its excellent slots catalogue, which has won it an impressive number of industry awards. Some of the biggest operators use Pragmatic Play to enhance their game library, such as Poker Stars, William Hill, Bwin, Bethard or Casumo. Pragmatic Play has not stopped there and is now diversifying into live gaming. It does so from its studio in Bucharest, where more than forty roulette, blackjack and speed roulette tables are running. This is enough to meet the demands of the world’s largest online casinos.
Lucky Streak. This player is a little less renowned but is growing rapidly, thanks to a rather original positioning, inspired by the major trends found in video games. Lucky Streak incorporates elements of personalization and gamification into its games. Without forgetting to take great care in the presentation of the style and character of its studios and dealers. These strengths should allow the Lucky Streak team to continue to grow and attract more online casino partners. They will still need to expand their catalogue, which currently only includes blackjack, baccarat and roulette.
Authentic Gaming. This publisher follows a rather original path in the live sector. Authentic Gaming specializes in roulette games that are offered in 3 different versions: Studio Roulette, Auto Roulette and Real Casino Roulette. Auto roulette allows you to play roulette at your own pace, operating the roulette yourself by clicking to activate its throw, instead of the dealer, who is absent from the screen. Real casino roulette is Authentic Gaming’s number one asset, which underlines how real and non-simulated the experience is.