If land-based and online gambling venues were the two opposite points of the same spectrum, the best live casino sites would be considered to be the golden middle. The live part of an online casino metaphorically bridges the physical and virtual gambling experience into one, providing its players with an incredibly immersive atmosphere. Some online casino players do prefer the live services, as it feels more “real” when compared to all-computer generated gaming. After all, you will be playing with a live professional dealer. For those who are not familiar with how it all works, here is a brief explanation.
Several Elements Determine the Worth of Live Casino Sites
On the peak of the online gambling age, many new live casino sites started appearing from everywhere. One would naturally question their legitimacy and credibility, but one thing is for sure; in order to stay relevant, almost all of them started offering a live online service for most of their games. To people who aren’t interested in online gambling at all, a live service at an Internet casino is when there is a live dealer that oversees the games and bets. Although all live versions can seem quite immersive, there are a few things you need to watch out for in order to determine if the place you’re in is worth your time or not. In the topics below, you will learn what matters when choosing the proper live online service.
Recommended Casino Sites
| Broker | Bonus | Min Deposit | Regulation | Review | Visit Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 888 Casino | $888 | $20 | UKGC | Read Review | Open Account |
| Sloto Cash | $1,000 | $25 | Curaçao | Read Review | Open Account |
| Mansion | $5,000 | $20 | UKGC, GGC | Read Review | Open Account |
Video Stream Quality
Successful online casinos would spend a pretty penny on their camera equipment. Not only on the quality of the tech, but numbers as well; a single roulette table can feature up to four cameras, and any slow-motion feature alone will require a completely different cam. In addition to the technology, professional cameramen are employed as well as IT specialists and “pit bosses” to keep the entire process running clear and uninterrupted. Every image has to be high definition and every sound needs to be crystal clear! When you’re trying to rank among the top live casino sites in the world, you literally need to up your game; and of course, we are talking about a stable, live stream Internet connection.
Physical Environment
There are do’s and dont’s when constructing the set for an online live casino. To the not-so-untrained eye, a green-clad gambling table mat and a red carpet would look the same. If that is the case, you can definitely expect that the quality of the games or live video feed would be questionable – and it is. You would notice that the more money is spent into creating a casino scene, the better the quality of the video, the games, and the dealers would be. Stay away from cheap-cliche-looking online casinos that offer live games. These are very often one-room sets, quite poor in visual detail accomplished by a terrible video feed and an even more appalling sound quality. Some casinos would outsource their live casino games to other countries in hopes of minimizing their expenses, which in the long term proves less than beneficial for them.
Proper Graphics Overlap
In a live online casino, you interact with a real person ( a dealer) located in a physical setting. How do you and place your bets when you’re not actually there? A virtual betting table or an interactive field is made to cover the real one in the physical environment, while the dealer sees the stakes made by players on a monitor close to him. You would see this type of setting in most popular casinos, such as 888casino, sloto-cash, bet-365, Mansion. The quality of these computer-generated elements must be top-notch, in order to provide the player with a seamless experience through every action they make.
The Top Live Casino Sites Deliver Interesting Bonuses and Awards
Every player that enjoys the services of a top live casino, also benefits from lucrative bonuses and additional rewards. In this section, we will take a look at a few of the bonus programs which are usually featured in every live casino. As with all other games, an establishment will provide its players with all the classic sign-up and follow-up bonuses, and will add a little bit of extra for the most loyal participants.
Loyalty Programs
Every bet, no matter losing or winning will earn your account the so-called “complimentary points”. Every casino has different names for them, but they are basically units which accumulate over a period of betting. When playing in a live casino, the rate at which you gather the comp points can be much different; depending on the rules set by the house, you can earn more or less while playing in a live online casino. Later on in time, those same points can be exchanged for in-game currency or item prizes should the casino offers such a service.
Follow-Up Bonuses
The points described above are not only there to help you get back some of your money, but also to mark the milestone of your account’s progress. The bonus itself may require making a deposit or winning in a specific game for collection, but this depends entirely on the policy of the live casino sites. Sometimes, when wins are made under the effect of a bonus, the resulting sum may be kept as it is or exchanged for a percentage of its monetary value to balance funds; whatever the case might be, such bonus winning would almost always be subjected to wagering requirements.
Cashback Bonuses
Online live casinos that offer a cashback reward enjoy major success among their players. Essentially, what a cashback bonus is when a person has wagered a substantial amount of money, the house would give them back a small percentage of the total sum spent on a game. This is one of the rarest types of bonuses, which makes it comprehensively one of the most coveted ones in any live casino online. While not specifically beneficial for smaller bets, the cashback bonus most certainly provides some kind of return on larger amounts of money.
Mobile Accessibility to your Live Casino Online
People on the go also prefer to play with real people, and it is this fact that has made the top casino brands we know of today develop their own live dealer services for mobile devices. As you can imagine, the platforms are quite different and developing a live streaming service for a smartphone can prove to be tricky; however, giants like Playtech and NetEnt have worked for many years to develop software which will allow playing in a live dealer casino on your smartphone.
Standard Legal Features in an Online Live Dealer Casino
As with its other games, online casinos that offer live dealer games undergo a remarkable set of checks and audits in order to ensure complete fairness between the house and the player. This not only happens at intervals, but constantly in real time. In some cases, while online casinos have their own brand of land-based establishments, other gambling venues hire companies that provide casino studios which can host their live games. It is important for a live dealer casino to:
- Possess accreditation and licensing with a governing body
- Be subjected to regular auditing by approved institutions
- Provide its clients with complete transparency on all rules and conditions
Most Popular Game Tournaments Held In a Live Dealer Casino
While offering an outstanding choice of games to choose from, live dealer tournaments in an online casino are not easy to come by. This trait is truly reserved for the cream of the crop, because the logistics of holding a competition with real dealers can be quite engaging. Nevertheless, a successful live dealer casino would invest resources into making such events reality. Although the game roster could be considered a bit narrow, the quality of the live dealer tournaments is truly inspiring. Here are some of the most popular games played in live dealer competitions online:
- Roulette
- Backarat
- Texas Hold’Em
- Blackjack
The Final Decree on Live Online Gambling
The psychological factor plays a major role in the strategy of a player. Statistics show that when there is a live dealer, players tend to be more cautious with their betting, and act with much more strategy. Although being more focused isn’t a guaranteed formula for success, people have found that they are much more content when making less chaotic bets.
Many online casinos that offer live gaming enjoy incredible success, because the player feels the live atmosphere although they are not physically there. For people that feel the act of gambling a bit more personal, a live house always gives them the experience they are looking for. Ideal for seasoned players and fresh beginners, live dealer casinos offer a socially immersive environment that makes you interact with other people as well. If you want to feel like you’re in a real venue from the comfort of your own home, then playing live dealer games online will definitely impress you.