How Does Live Casino Work?
Live casino is the latest effort that online casinos are making to bring some of the atmosphere and feel of traditional casinos into their sites. It is hoped that this will chip away at the portion of the gaming market that is still reluctant to play at online casinos and bring them into the fold.
The way that a live casino works is that players are connected to dealers via a video link which they can use on their computer, tablet or smartphone. They can then make bets using software and interact with the dealer using the chat feature. This brings a social element to the games and is more realistic than just playing a game of blackjack or roulette on a machine.
Most of the best live casinos will offer a large selection of different table games including the likes of poker, blackjack and roulette. However, they also tend to offer more niche games like baccarat and craps. This is because the technology and resources needed to run these types of games is more specialist.
In order to provide a great experience for gamers, these live casino games are hosted in special studios which are designed to be able to broadcast the games over the internet. The quality of the stream is usually excellent and most home internet connections will be able to handle it with ease. However, it is worth checking with the individual casino to ensure that the quality will be high enough for you.
A key component of any live casino is a device called a Game Control Unit (GCU). This small box is no larger than a shoebox and it is responsible for encoding the video that is being broadcast. The GCU is a vital piece of kit and without it live casino games would not be possible.
During the actual gameplay, players will click on the buttons that are displayed on their screen to let the dealer know what action they want to take. For example, if they are playing blackjack they will click on a button that lets the dealer know that they want to hit, split or double their bets. The dealer will then take the relevant action and the players will be aware of the results in a matter of seconds.
The only downside to this type of interaction is that the bet prompts are controlled by the software and cannot be changed. This can be a little frustrating at times, especially when you are trying to make quick decisions. However, it is a small sacrifice to make in order to enjoy the games that are being offered.