Live dealer is a clear indicator of the online casino industry’s readiness to take over from the traditional casinos in no distant future. One thing online casinos could not offer online players in their early days is the immersive entertainment enjoyed in a land-based casino.
With the advancement in technology, online casinos have been able to bridge the gap between the immersive entertainment of a traditional casino and the convenience of a virtual casino. Casino players can now enjoy almost the same entertainment from a land-based studio on a mobile phone or computer. Let’s explore and understand the technology that makes delivering a real-life gaming experience to the comfort of our room possible.
How do live dealers work?
All the actions and the processes take place in a land-based casino studio or a dedicated game provider studio, with the aid of advanced and sophisticated live streaming technology. All games are streamed in a crisp HD quality video and the operations are managed by highly professional dealers. Here is a breakdown of all the components that make up a live dealer.
Monitor
Except for the blind spots, the monitor displays precisely what happens in the studio to the player’s screens. The monitor also helps the dealer to keep track of all the stakes and instructions of the players as well uninterrupted interactions between the players and the dealer via live chat.
HD Camera
Obviously, the action feeds from a live casino will not get to your smartphone or computer with a camera. But the camera used is high resolution with three angled views that cover every move and every part of the live casino for transparency.
Game Control Unit
Though almost the size of a shoebox, the GCU is probably the essential part of a live dealer casino setup. It is the center that holds every one of the processes together. It helps dealers run the games efficiently without any hiccups. Any problem with GCU will most likely cause a lag in the whole setup.
OCR Technology
Every minute and essential detail of the happenings in a live casino is displayed to the players. That is made possible by the OCR, a technology that extracts and processes all form data automatically. The technology bridges the gap between the actions in a live casino and players in an interactive and immersive manner. The OCR reads the images of the game table or the wheels and transmits them to the player’s screen. The technology also works in reverse. It is a data converter that transmits the stake and other players’ preferences back to the studio.
Digital Wheel
For roulette lovers, the automated wheel transmits the result of a spin to the players directly to your computer or mobile device. The automated wheel makes the job of the human dealer easier as it does not require an OCR. Using an automated wheel also eliminates human error.
The Human Touch of a live dealer
Most casino players love beautiful graphics and animation of online casino games, but it doesn’t come close to a pretty lady or gent shuffling and dealing the cards, and following each of your instructions. Every action of the live dealer is shown to you up close and personal like you are in a real casino. Likewise, in roulette, the anticipation as you watch the wheel spin makes it all exciting.
Benefits of a live dealer casino
Generally, live dealer casinos have the edge over both the land-based casino and the regular online casino. They combine the best of the two to provide an exciting gaming experience for casino players. Here are some of the benefits of live dealer casinos that give it an edge over other types of online gambling and traditional casino.
Guaranteed Fairness
The regular online casino results are computer-generated. Although you need not worry about the fairness of the results when you play in an online casino website that is licensed and regulated by the right authority, it is often hard to prove the fairness of the results.
But the experience and the level of trust in a live dealer casino are different, as you watch as the wheel spins or the cards have been dealt and played.
Social Interaction
Human interaction adds to the appeal of a traditional casino. We are social beings, after all. Communicating with a skilled and professional human dealer and other dealers adds a human touch that is lacking in online casinos. The human dealers are often super-friendly and make you feel like royalty all through your gaming sessions.
The gaming experience on the go
Unlike real-life casinos where you have to walk into their locations to play, live dealers give you the convenience of playing anytime and anywhere. You don’t need any high-tech gadgets other than your internet-connected computer or Smartphone.
Wide variety of games
Though the game options are not as vast as online casinos, the live dealer casinos still offer more choices than the regular land-based casinos where spaces and spots are more limited. The standard games in live dealer casino games are Live Dealer Blackjack, Live Dealer Baccarat, Live Dealer Roulette, and varieties of casino poker card games.
Regular bonuses
You have to be a VIP and be a high roller to enjoy extra perks from a real casino. Live dealer casinos like online casinos bless you with an array of bonuses right from signup. There are other incentives, such as loyalty bonuses.
Privacy
The traditional casinos only offer private tables to high rollers, but there is no 100% privacy when you walk in and out of the casino regularly. Live casinos give you all the privacy and the convenience you need. The decision of when and where to play is in your hands.
Final Thought
Since its inception, the online casino has been emulating land-based technology. The live dealer is the arm of the online casino industry that shows its rapid growth over the traditional casinos and constant innovation. The immersive entertainment of live dealers is bound to get better as technology keeps advancing and fuses with gambling.