Note: The following page is intended for international audiences only. Australians can use this page as an informational page, as online casino gambling is illegal as of September, 2017.
Online casinos have one major disadvantage when compared to their land-based counterparts – they lack any sort of social ambience. Software developers have aimed to make up for this by streaming human dealers in real time dealing the rounds, spinning the reels, or drawing the balls in array of live dealer titles.
There are many software developers who have created live dealer catalogues, but there are only a few who really execute them well – combining the convenience of playing online with the social ambience of a real human dealer.
Live dealer basic requirements
Live dealer games have been created to be compatible with Web browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc – and both PC users and Mac players can access these games without the need to download any special software.
You do need to have an account with an online casino; we have a list below we recommend due to encryption protocols in place and their high quality live dealer catalogues, and you need to make a real money deposit before you can access the live dealer games.
Players can access the online casinos either on a laptop or desktop, or via smartphones and tablets with many of our mobile sites offering mobile live dealer titles optimised for portable devices.
You will also need a fairly strong Internet connection as the streaming is in high definition and it’ll ruin the experience if it keeps buffering on you.
Live dealer casino games
If you have never heard of live dealer titles before or you are unaware of how they work, they involve online software developers employing real human dealers and setting them up in a land-based casino or studio to record them handling equipment for table games, in real time.
This is streamed directly to the your device, and provided you have money in your account, you can choose your favourite title, place your bets via the animated table, and the human dealer will call all bets and proceed with either dealing more cards, revealing cards, spinning the wheel, and so on.
The studio or casino with other dealers set up in the background provides the ambience of being in a real casino, with audio to match. The majority of live dealer titles also have a chat box attached where players can talk to other players and the dealer, too. Where this is the case the dealer will respond verbally to create the social ambience missing from playing standard online casino titles run by a computer.
There aren’t as many live dealer titles as there are standard titles – this is due to the expenses incurred from employing real people (the dealers, pit bosses, IT staff) and all the equipment to stream the dealer – but the number is beginning to increase with new variants being added fairly regularly by top leading software developers.
Common live dealer catalogues feature live blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and sometimes Casino Hold’em or Three Card Poker. Extensive live dealer catalogues contain live keno and lottery titles, as well as unique variants of the standard titles.
Best live dealer software developers
There are plenty of software developers out there, but if you want the best live dealer titles you should opt for the best.
We have listed the top providers here, including what they offer in terms of their live dealer catalogue and how they differ from one another.
Microgaming
Microgaming offers a live dealer catalogue featuring the following titles with varying table limits as follows:
- Live Blackjack – betting limits start at $25 and go up to $500
- Live Baccarat – betting limits start at $10 and go up to $500
- Live Roulette – betting limits start at $1 and go up to $100
- Live Casino Hold’em – betting limits start at $10 and go up to $500
All come in single and multi-player versions and the higher end limits are found on the VIP tables.
Microgaming set their live dealer catalogue apart by offering players the choice between traditionally dressed dealers and Playboy dressed croupiers. These are all female, but you may find males in the traditional outfit.
However, Microgaming have also teamed up with Evolution Gaming – as of 2015 – to create a live dealer catalogue on the Quickfire platform. This may mean you might not find the Playboy dressed croupiers as easily.
Find Microgaming live dealer titles at Royal Vegas Casino (new live dealer catalogue in February 2016), Jackpot City Casino, and 32 Red Casino.
Evolution Gaming
Evolution specialise specifically in live dealer titles and therefore can be considered the best in the industry. They have an extensive catalogue including;
- Live Blackjack – betting limits start $5 and go up to $5000
- Live Baccarat – betting limits start at $1 and go up to $2000
- Live Roulette – betting limits start at $0.10 and go up to $50,000
- Live Casino Hold’em – betting limits start at $0.50 and go up to $1500
- Live Three Card Poker – betting limits start at $1 and go up to $3000
There are many variants available including Live Blackjack Party where there are two dealers instead of one, Live Immersive Roulette where you get up close and personal with the wheel, and VIP variants where you will find the higher table limits. There are both male and female dealers available too.
Additionally, new variants from Evolution Gaming include Live Caribbean Stud and Live Baccarat Squeeze, which will no doubt be available at Leo Vegas and Guts online casino soon.Ezugi
Ezugi also specialise in live dealer games, and are quite unique in they offer live lottery titles, something you won’t find with all software developer live dealer catalogues. They also offer the standard titles, each of top quality with varying table limits as follows;
- Live Blackjack – betting limits start $5 and go up to $300
- Live Baccarat – betting limits start at $5 and go up to $500
- Live Roulette – betting limits start at $1 and go up to $5000
- Live Keno – open 12pm – 8pm GMT only
- Live Lottery – open 12pm – 8pm GMT only
Net Entertainment
Originally Net Entertainment’s live dealer titles weren’t commonly found among our top online casinos, but now G’Day and Leo Vegas online casinos offer titles from the top leading provider.
There is only blackjack and roulette available but there are a number of variants of the two games and varying table limits including:
- Live Blackjack – betting limits start $1 and go up to $10,000
- Live Roulette – betting limits start at $1 and go up to $75,000
The higher limits are found on the VIP tables and an array of male and female dealers are available. While NetEnt’s live dealer catalogue is quite limited, we have no doubt the top leading software developer has more titles in the works.
Advantages of live dealer games
There are plenty of benefits to playing live dealer titles and while you can’t play in free play mode – by the time you start playing you’ll realise you wouldn’t want to anyway.
- Titles are available 24/7 excluding Ezugi’s Live Keno and Lottery
- You can play from the comfort of your own home and since the dealer can’t see you, you can wear whatever you like – pyjamas are acceptable
- Large variety of live dealer titles to play with special features you can’t get at a land-based casino
- You can chat to other players and the dealer in the chat box to create a social atmosphere
- Dealers are attractive and you have a wide range to choose from
- There are table limits to suit every player
