A live casino is a real-time experience that brings the excitement of a bricks and mortar casino into your own home or mobile device. Live games are streamed from a studio or land-based venue to your computer or mobile device in real time with a real dealer and using real casino equipment like a shoe of cards for blackjack or an authentic roulette wheel. They offer a more immersive gaming experience than traditional online table games and are compatible with all modern mobile devices. They require a strong WiFi connection to avoid data use and some offers have time limits so make sure you check the terms and conditions before playing.
A key objective of online casino operators is to get as close to the experience of playing in a regular casino as possible and the development of live casino games has been a major step towards achieving this goal. The difference between live casino and traditional casino games is that in the former players can interact with the dealers and each other, something that is not available with video slot machines that rely on RNGs to generate results.
When a live casino game begins players will enter the live lobby where they can see the available tables displayed much as they would on any casino floor. A single click on the table they wish to play at will then whisk them away to a seat with an open space, if there is one. Players can communicate with each other via the chat function, just as they would with their table mates in a normal casino. The dealer will deal the cards or spin the wheel and the results will be processed by software so the winners can be announced immediately.
Unlike slots, which can remain unmodified for long periods of time, live casino games must be constantly updated in order to keep up with the competition. This has made it necessary for these casinos to have a budget set aside for upgrades and to invest in the latest technologies as soon as they become within reach. This is a major part of why live casino has been a success and why it is continuing to grow in popularity.
The technology behind a live casino is complex and requires a number of different rooms, including a studio for the streaming of the action, a control room that runs the software and a specialised analysis room where the live feed is monitored. A good quality camera is required to capture the action and OCR (optical character recognition) software to process the symbols on the cards or numbers on a roulette wheel. A server will then run the games on a computer and generate the results that are instantly transmitted to player screens. These results are then compared to the previous outcomes and if the result is positive, the winnings will be awarded to the player. If the outcome is negative, the winnings will be returned to the casino.
