The gambling industry is always coming up with new and inventive ways to create a better experience for their customers, but one of the biggest shifts in recent years is the trend towards live casinos.
For those who’ve never played at a casino before, live casino uses live streaming cameras to film an actual croupier. This footage is instantly streamed to those playing at home, who can interact with the croupier using the user interface on their screen and otherwise can play the game as normal. This gives players a much more realistic experience, that some have called the closest to real life casino gaming.
While there’s no debate that this technology is certainly here to stay, it will be interesting to see how it impacts the gambling industry. We’re going to take a look at what this technology is all about, the benefits and drawbacks that it has over other forms of casino gaming and what it’s legacy will be.
Create a More Realistic Gaming Experience
Without a doubt, the biggest advantage of a live casino is that it creates a more realistic gaming experience through live streaming. Even the most spectacular graphics can’t compete with an actual human being on camera. The interaction that’s possible between player and croupier as well as the instant feedback makes it feel as though you’re almost in the room.
Also, the ability to see the croupier from multiple different angles gives the illusion of a three-dimensional experience, another string to the live casino’s bow. For those who enjoy a realistic game, they can’t be beaten.
Blurring Lines Between Online and Offline
For all of the reasons outlined above, the invention of the live casino has somewhat blurred the lines between the bricks and mortar and online casino experience. This will certainly play in the favour of the online experience, allowing customers to experience something very close to real life, without even having to leave their home.
As live casinos are still relatively young, it remains to be seen whether they will actually drive customers away from bricks and mortar casinos thanks to the convenience of being able to play at home. However, it certainly wouldn’t be farfetched to imagine that this could happen.
Everybody Wants More Choice
If they don’t drive people away from offline casinos, then at the very least they’ll give consumers more choice. Some people who might otherwise not want to play online could be inspired to give them a try for the novelty value.
While some players who enjoy the online experience over the offline experience might dodge them. It’s been proven time and time again that consumers enjoy having a choice, hence the huge variety of games that online casinos make available. Live casinos will provide just one more option for customers which should see the technology more readily adopted by casino sites.
Inspiring Trust and Confidence
One of the most interesting findings from research into the live casino experience is how much more trustworthy people find this style of play. Whilst all online casinos are rigorously tested for fairness, people find it easier to trust an actual human being than a computer. We have a natural distrust for computers, wondering if the outcomes could be rigged.
While this certainly isn’t the case at any legal online casino, the presence of a croupier is a comfort to many players. Particularly in games of chance such as roulette, people trust a real person and physical wheel more than they trust an animated graphic.
This could have two effects. It could make people more inclined to choose a live casino experience over a traditional online one, driving more players to sites offering this option. On the other hand, it could make gamers who usually play at online casinos realise they prefer the human touch and consider switching to a bricks and mortar casino instead.
Creating a More Social Atmosphere
An advantage that live dealer games have over traditional online games is that they lend an interesting social dynamic. The biggest benefit is that players can talk directly to the croupier. This means that if someone is experiencing a problem with gameplay then their query can be answered instantly, removing the need for many customer service assistants. The other benefit is the discourse between players.
Chat boxes and live chats can help to foster friendships, but they can also help astute players pick up on subtle cues from others. It might be that a player who is usually very chatty suddenly goes quiet, or someone starts talking about the strength of their hand.
For those paying attention, these can be good clues to who is bluffing. There are certainly some gamers who prefer to play a quiet game and for them this might be a distraction. However, for those who enjoy the art of catching a bluffer, or simply the social element of gaming, this could be the clincher.
