Live Casino is the latest effort by online casinos to emulate the experience of visiting a traditional casino without all of the hassle and expense. They use a mix of cameras, video conferencing technology, and software to bring you the closest thing to playing at a real-life casino without having to leave your own home or office.
The latest in online gaming technology has been introduced by the casino industry which seems to be one of the fastest areas of the world of entertainment to embrace new innovations. For example, online slots and roulette tables now allow players to interact with dealers through the internet via HD video streaming that is transmitted from studios that are based in various parts of the globe.
Optical character recognition is used to capture the details of the cards that are dealt or the positions of the balls on a roulette wheel, whilst the digital technology that powers a roulette table can also record where a ball has landed. The interface between the digital and the live action of a game is facilitated by an ingenious piece of hardware called a Game Control Unit, or GCU. This is only about the size of a shoe box and every table has one. Without it the whole thing just wouldn’t work.
To play a live dealer casino game you have to sign up for an account with the site in question, then navigate your way through the list of games offered, just as you would scope out a slot machine on a casino floor. Once you have found your game click on it and you’ll be whisked away to a virtual table where the dealer will then deal you the card or spin the wheel for you.
You can chat to the dealer through a live video stream and make comments to other players in the same way as you could if you were sitting at a table in a bricks and mortar casino. The interaction with the dealer and other players can add to the excitement of a game, as well as creating some suspense that you don’t get when simply playing an electronic version of a casino game on your computer at home.
In addition, players can watch other customers playing their favourite games in the same room, which can help to create an even more exciting atmosphere. Some live casinos also offer a range of additional services that can include chat rooms, tips from the dealers, and exclusive events.
The only downside to a live casino is that the betting limits are typically much higher than those of traditional online casinos. This is because the dealers have to be paid more and the production costs of a live casino are higher than for an online-only operation. However, the increasing sophistication of technology means that this will soon be a thing of the past. Virtual reality is expected to provide the next big step forward and it will be a matter of time before we see all of us sitting at blackjack tables with real human dealers, rather than the green-screen computer generated avatars that currently populate our screens.