Hot Features
Premium
Register for streaming realtime charts, analysis tools, and prices.
In 2017, data from H2 Gaming Capital suggested that the live dealer casino industry was worth €1.5 billion per annum across the globe. It’s also been suggested that some iGaming operators now yield as much as 25% of their overall income from live streamed casino games alone. What’s the reason behind the surge in live casino demand? It’s simple, really — live dealer casinos offer the most engaging and authentic replicas of land-based casinos.
Live casino studios bring you closer to the action without having to set foot in a brick-and-mortar casino
The rapid advancements in connectivity have enabled real-time streams in high-definition (HD) quality video and audio. Players can sit and watch their table games unfold with a view that’s just as good, if not better than, the view they can enjoy on a land-based casino floor. Better still, they can also interact with the dealers and gameshow hosts in real-time via the live chat box functionality, as well as the other players at their table. Better still, all of this is now accessible on both desktop and mobile devices thanks to the advent of HTML5 and responsive user experiences.
It seems almost certain that live dealer casinos are going to become an increasingly influential player in the global iGaming sphere. The live casino charge is being led by an exclusive group of live casino studios that are innovating to create a more immersive online casino industry. Below, we shine a spotlight the five major powerhouses of live casino technology to keep an eye on in 2021 and beyond.
Playtech
Playtech was established around the dawn of online casino gaming in 1999. Having originally specialised in online slots and classic casino table games, it invested heavily in a “next-generation” live dealer studio, which opened its doors in February 2017. At the time of its creation, it was the largest live casino studio on the planet, situated in the Latvian capital of Riga. Although much of Playtech’s live casino action unfolds here, the Playtech Live arm also exists in the Far East with its Filipino studio in Manila serving its regulated Asian operators.
Each of the regional Playtech Live studios has its own interior themes and décor. The Riga-based studio is branded as the “Grand Royale” studio, with gold furnishings and opulent surroundings akin to Monte Carlo. Meanwhile the Manila-based studio is dubbed the “Emperor” and “Sapphire” studios, bringing plush red interiors inspired by Asian culture and folklore.
Evolution Gaming
Although Evolution Gaming has been around for a significantly shorter period of time than Playtech, its influence in the live casino scene is no less substantial. In fact, Evolution was at the forefront of the original live streamed casino games, launching its own proprietary live casino platform for others to follow. Its software has bagged industry awards left, right and centre since 2010, with Evolution studios now operational in four sites – Latvia, Georgia, Canada and the US.
Consequently, Evolution Gaming powers some of the leading iGaming operators both in Europe and the burgeoning North American marketplace. 888 casino in New Jersey was one of the first to regain a US license to operate in 2013 and its Evolution-powered live casino games are verified for fairness, meeting the strictest industry compliance standards.
Ezugi
Bulgaria-based live casino studio Ezugi is another up-and-coming company to watch in 2021. With studios also located in Belgium, Costa Rica and Cambodia, Ezugi is another provider which works hard to regionalise its live dealer gaming. It’s unlike more established service providers in the way that it innovates classic games like keno. Meanwhile its fusion games like Wheel of Dice and Hybrid Blackjack have also gained in popularity fast among players.
Baccarat is the most popular card game in southeast Asia due to its focus on luck and chance over skill
Ezugi is a live dealer casino studio that’s working hard to penetrate the regulated casino markets across Asia. Its most recent releases of Live Andar Bahar and Live Super 6 – a unique twist of the classic Baccarat game that’s the most popular card game in the Far East – underline its mission to serve the growing Asian user base.
Authentic Gaming
Authentic Gaming is another fascinating entrant to the live casino marketplace. With studios based across Europe and the US, it is already making a sizeable impact on the European and North American live casino sector, not least because of its live mobile casino software. Its HD-quality streams translate flawlessly onto smartphone and tablet devices. Furthermore, its services are licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) which is one of the most respected iGaming jurisdictions on the planet.
Authentic Gaming also specialises in streaming live table games that are being played on real-life casino floors. Casinos like Aspers Casino in London, Foxwoods Resorts Casino in the United States and Platinum Casino in Bucharest have live streamed games that allow online players to play the same games as those standing on the casino floor. It’s an eye-opener into what it’s like to play in a brick-and-mortar casino for those yet to experience it in person.
Extreme Live Gaming
Extreme Live Gaming was founded under the Novomatic Group umbrella. It is one of the few live dealer casino studios to be based in the UK. It is working hard to catch up with the established household names in the sector like Evolution and Playtech and its X-Mode functionality is certainly helping the brand to make strides. By delivering a premium user experience even burgeoning providers can disrupt established sectors like the live casino sphere.
Each live casino table powered by X-Mode has its own scenarios and bonus games that can be triggered, rewarding those who are betting the most and winning the most with promotional payouts. The player with the highest turnover in the last 20 spins at the X-Mode roulette tables gets to trigger the “Golden Ball” which can yield major dividends.
It’s these clever nuances that are helping to add new dimensions to live casino action across the globe, with new studios bringing the creative flair needed to keep pace and continue to excite and intrigue players worldwide.
