Live casinos have proved to be one of the biggest innovations in online gambling in recent years. Ever since the early days of online casino sites, attempts have been made to bring the full casino experience direct to players’ screens, but the technology was lacking and these early iterations did not catch on.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and several factors converged to make the dream of authentic live casinos a reality. First came the broadband revolution, which gradually replaced the old and unreliable dial-up connections and gave everyone round-the-clock internet access. At the same time, hardware was steadily improving, with devices becoming faster and more powerful.
With the introduction and rapid adoption of smartphones, live casinos got yet another boost. Internet speeds were further increased to satisfy the need for extra bandwidth, and casino software providers focused their attention on making sure their games were mobile compatible.
Evolution Gaming was the first to crack the formula to a great live casino experience, but since then the number of providers has proliferated. Live casino now accounts for around a quarter of all online gaming revenue. It has been a stunning success, but you may not know just how much-complicated technology goes into creating the experience.
What are live casinos?
Almost every good online casino site now boasts a ‘live’ section, but what exactly can you find there? If you enter the live casino portion of the site, you will find a number of classic and modern casino games – typical collections will include poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other assorted games.
When you take a place at one of the tables, you find yourself face to face with a real dealer, streamed live and direct to your screen. The game that you play is controlled by the dealer, just as in a brick-and-mortar casino establishment – no random number generators here. Chat functions allow players to interact with the dealer if they wish.
While some adjustments have been made to the gameplay in order to accommodate the online format, this is as close as it gets to an authentic casino experience online. It may all look fairly simple, but behind the scenes, there is some seriously powerful and sophisticated tech driving the process.
Live casino tech
Most live dealer games are broadcast from specialized studios, with some also streamed live from actual casino establishments. Through the online casino portal, players can join the tables and access the game in live, high-definition video via a mobile or laptop screen. Several different technologies are needed to perfect the experience of Finnish live casinos – let’s take a look at what goes into creating them.
Optical character recognition
Live streaming is only part of the process. Live games are not simply a visual experience, they must also be fully interactive. This is made possible through a technology called optical character recognition (OCR), which converts visual information into electronic data. The OCR can read the face of a dice or the suit and value of a playing card, and the data received is then processed instantly for every move of the game in question. The results of each move can then be applied to each player automatically and completely accurately. Without the OCR software, the games would be painstakingly slow, as the dealer would have to enter data manually or verbally.
Game control unit
The other key component to live games is the game control unit (GCU). The OCR feeds information from the video data to the GCU, which encodes and interprets it to assist the dealer in running the game. It is through the GCU that players are informed if their bet has won or lost, and money is added to or taken from their bankroll accordingly. The GCU also takes data from a number of sensors – for example, one that detects where the ball lands in a game of roulette.
Cameras and monitors
The games are captured and streamed via high-definition cameras, and the picture quality received by players is extremely good. Each table requires several cameras so that players can get close-up views and a variety of different angles. Finally, the dealer has a special monitor that facilitates interaction with the players at the table. Displayed here are all the screen nicknames of the participants, their bets past and present, and the chat.
User interface
The user interface for the player is kept relatively simple, with little sign of all the sophisticated processes taking place backstage. Instead, players will see the streamed video of the table and dealer and will hear the dealer speaking. Also on the player screen are fields for entering bets, including a timer to show when betting is closed, and the chatbox for communicating with the dealer and sometimes also with the other players at the table.
Virtual RNG games are relatively inexpensive to host and run, but the same is not true for live casinos. As well as all the technology and equipment needed, each game is run by a professional, trained dealer. These individuals are usually well compensated for their work. Despite the higher running costs and overheads, live casino has proved so popular that it is very profitable for sites to include live games in their collections.
Why players love live casino games
There are many advantages to live dealer tables, over both virtual games and land casinos. When compared to RNG games, live casino gives a much more authentic and interactive experience. Live tables bring classic casino games to life in a way that the virtual version cannot replicate. Some games have been modified for the format, notably poker. Casino Hold’em is the live version of Texas Hold’em, with players pitted against the dealer.
An advantage over land casinos is that they are far more accessible – all you need is a mobile or PC and an internet connection. It is also easier to find a place at a table and start playing instantly. Live casinos also cater to every bankroll, providing a range of table limits for casual players right through to high rollers.
