1 July 2022
By Roger Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Entertainment
The online gambling industry is growing at an exponential rate with analysts predicting that the industry which is currently worth around $61 billion per year will be worth $114.4 billion by 2028. Much of this sudden growth can be attributed to the creation of regulated iGaming markets across the globe while technological advances in software is also a significant factor.
Those technological developments are most noticeable in the online casino industry. This is because gaming software developers and the gambling companies that hire them are keenly aware that customers want a realistic casino experience. In years gone by this meant creating video slots, roulette wheels, and poker tables that mirrored real life action.
These days, however, it means something completely different. Yes, we’re talking about live dealer games, the latest trend in online casino gaming.
What are live casino dealer games?
They are exactly what they sound like — casino games that are hosted by live dealers. What happens is an online casino gaming supplier hires dealers and puts them in a professional TV studio environment with genuine equipment such as gaming tables and roulette wheels. The dealers then wait for players to arrive at their tables through the online casino’s platform. The players, who are sitting at home in front of their screens, take part in the game with all of their decisions transmitted directly to the dealer.
In a nutshell, it is everything that a live casino can offer from a gaming perspective minus the idle chit chat between dealer and player.
Why are they so popular?
Unfortunately, at present, the live streaming aspect of live dealer games is still one-sided. However, this hasn’t stopped live dealer games from being one of the fastest growing niches within the online gambling industry. But what exactly is it about them that makes them so popular?
According to online casino review site USAcasinosites.org, one of the biggest benefits of playing live dealer games is transparency. The fact that all games are streamed live adds that layer of trust that is sometimes missing in the iGaming industry. While video table games such as blackjack are incredibly popular, there seems to be something about seeing a real live person dealing the cards that lends that air of trust to a game.
Then there is the game variety. The most popular games at live dealer online casinos are baccarat, roulette, and blackjack, but there are actually many more options. These include multiple variations of poker, craps, and even game shows such as Deal or No Deal. It’s only a matter of time before even more game types are also added.
The social aspect
There’s no doubt that the social aspect of live dealer games is a major attraction of the genre. As we mentioned earlier, interactions with the dealers are difficult as they are only made aware of your decisions through the platform. However, consumer demand has led to many developers implementing chat features that allow players to send text messages via a chat room much like viewers can on Twitch.
While you may not have a full-blown conversation or even anything like it with a live dealer through the chat, it still offers a whole new level of interaction online casino gaming that has been missing for so many years.
And just like players at bricks-and-mortar casinos can pick their favourite dealers, the same can be done through live dealer games. While it’s not yet possible to request specific dealers, with the huge range of live games available at most online casinos, you can still pick games based on the dealers running them.
Is there etiquette to live dealer games?
Yes, just as there is a certain etiquette that you must follow at traditional live casinos, there are rules that must be followed at live dealer games.
One of the most important rules and the one that is also the most obvious is that you must respect all players and dealers. This means that there should be no disrespecting the dealer in the chat or calling their integrity into question. If you have an issue with the game, you should contact customer support and not take it out on the dealer who is simply doing their job.
Another unwritten rule is to only join games that you are already familiar with. This is particularly true of games that have more than one player. If you’re going to spend more time figuring out what to do than playing, then perhaps it’s better to spend some time getting to know the game through its online video variation than the live game.
There’s no doubt that live dealer casino games are here to stay. It’s an increasingly popular niche within the iGaming industry that is only going to get better as technology advances. In fact, live dealer games could be the only existing iGaming niche that can truly give online gambling in the metaverse a true run for its money.