Online casinos have been trying for years to find ways to replicate the feeling of playing in a land-based casino, and over the last decade, they have had a breakthrough with the introduction of Live Dealer games. These games too a major step forward in the regulated U.S. gambling space with the announcement of the introduction of Evolution Gaming’s Live Dealer suite of games in New Jersey.
What are Live Dealer Games?
For those of you who are hearing about these games for the first time, let’s give you a quick primer. Live Dealer games have been available for play at online casinos for over a decade, with Evolution Gaming leading the pack from a software standpoint. Players from around the world can access games that have a human dealer right from their PCs or mobile devices. For the most part, these dealers and tables were housed in studios across Europe. The player makes bets, and the interactive, live-streamed software allows the dealer to see those bets, and then play out hands just like in a land-based environment. This has been a boom in the online casino world, as it brings a more human element to playing online versus the cold, unemotional play of a computer-generated game.
Evolution builds a partnership with Hard Rock
The next level of engagement with Live Dealer games was introducing tables to land-based casinos that were also able to be played by players at home. The Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City is the first U.S. partner to launch these games from Evolution, having done so in early August. These games are live streamed, but there can be players at the physical tables as well as playing online. This gives players the option to “take a seat” themselves, or to bet behind a player already sitting at the table. With this method, there can be any number of players betting on the same hand, giving the casino a chance to expand the number of bettors without having to add tables. Of course, if you are betting behind a player, you are at the mercy of their gameplay, but imagine a scenario where a group of friends from around the state gets to play along with one of the players sitting live in the Hard Rock.
More to come
The early results of the Live Dealer games are very positive. Not only do players like engaging with a human dealer, but the revenue numbers from these games are also larger than other tables. It is not surprising to hear that Evolution is not done in the space, having signed agreements with both 888/Resorts Casino and Rush Street Interactive. It won’t be long before there are live dealer tables inside the majority of land-based casinos in the state, and Evolution has also opened their first studio in New Jersey to handle action from those players who want to play online but not with the tables situated in physical locations.
The future of gambling?
One thing to take note of with Live Dealer games is that they play much slower than the traditional online games. In an age where we seem to want information faster than ever before, this is a refreshing change of pace. The games may be slower, but the action of playing with other players whether in a casino or from your home makes the games more fun to play and that typically extends sessions. Live Dealer games tend to be limited to Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette and some other fringe Table Games, but we think this is going to be a very popular option as regulated online gambling makes its way across the United States in the years to come. Evolution Gaming has positioned themselves as the early entrant into space, and their Hard Rock location will serve as a blueprint for how other casinos can engage their players with this exciting variant on casino play.
