The Rise of Live Gaming: But Is It Right for You?

Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, February 7, 2017

While live gambling remains a relatively fresh and new concept online, it is one that is quickly cornering the overall market. Already commonplace in the UK and Europe, Golden Nugget recently became the first New Jersey operator to add live dealer games to its platform, gradually launching a small but diverse offering to gradually entice both new and traditional players alike. Of course, to some there may remain a degree of cynicism and uncertainty surrounding live, online gambling. This is only natural, as every new concept tends to be greeted with a sense of unease until it has overcome initial hurdles and established itself in the mainstream. Such a transitional period also creates challenges for players, however, particularly those who are switching from a tradition environment to a virtual, real-time setting.

For this demographic, it is important to understand how live gaming works and whether or not it is suitable for your particular style of play.

How do Live Dealer Games work?

On a fundamental level, live dealer games strive to simulate a bricks-and-mortar gambling experience either on the move or in the comfort of your own home. It achieves this through various measures, while the most recent advancements have helped to create an increasingly authentic gameplay experience. The Golden Nugget live channel therefore provides a relevant example of the real-time market, as it has only recently launched and uses the most cutting-edge techniques to create in-the-moment gameplay.

To begin with, this platform and similar live casinos use a corporeal dealer to oversee all real-time games. This is an individual who has been fully trained and certified in accordance with current regulations, while his role is to shuffle and deal cards in real time (or in the case of roulette drop the ball and commence the spinning of the wheel).

This immediately drives slower gameplay than is commonly associated with the online platform, delivering an average of two spins-per-minute and effectively replicating the pace of brick-and-mortar roulette.

So what of player interaction, which is another key driver of the offline gaming experience? Well, this is also accounted for by a live, online chat feature, which essentially serves as a three-way communication tool that is accessible to players and dealers alike. This represents a significant shift from the formative manifestation of online gambling, which typically featured an animated dealer or croupier and saw outcomes governed by an RNG (random number generator).

While effective, this could have an isolating effect on players, who may have felt removed from the thrill of gameplay and the social interaction with their dealer.

Is Live Gaming The Right Channel for you?

With this understanding and information in mind, you can hopefully begin to understand the nature of live, online roulette and determine whether or not it is a viable gaming channel for you. This is particularly important for players who have played roulette primarily online, as while live gameplay may also be hosted in the virtual realm it offers an entirely different experience to participants.

The first consideration is the pace of the game, especially if you consider decisiveness and an ability to think quickly to be among your core skills as an online roulette player. In this instance, switching to a slower, more authentically paced live platform may dilute the competitive edge that you hold over fellow players, minimising your chances of achieving sustained success. If you thrive in a rapid, quick-fire playing environment, you will be far better served by remaining online while avoiding live gameplay.

Similarly, much will depend on how you feel about dealer and player interaction. After all, many offline players cite the desire to interact with dealers as a tactical move, particularly in games such as blackjack where they may be able to interpret body language. As this opportunity is not available online, serious and experienced gamblers may be happy to forgo any kind of interaction at all, as they look to focus on the execution of their own strategy rather than what is unfolding around them.