Online casino games have forever changed the casino industry, with players able to access games without having to travel to a land-based venue. But now, those online games have evolved further with the introduction of live casino games.
A live casino game brings together elements of online play with the presence of a live dealer who runs the game with physical game components. This involves a lot of behind-the-scenes technology, so let’s take a closer look at just how these live casino games work.
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The technology behind live casino games
The concept of live casino games was actually floated long before they became a reality, even as early as the 1990s. But the technology at the time was a lot less developed than it is today, with even fully digital online casino games having limited graphics.
Live streaming is a core element of any live casino game, as the dealer or croupier is broadcast live to online players in real-time. In order for these games to run properly there needs to be as little lag between the stream and the player interface as possible, with no buffering required.
Live casino games use multiple high-definition cameras in their studio, ensuring that every angle of the gameplay is captured for players to watch. They can choose to focus on the dealer, a wide angle of the table setup or closer views of specific game elements such as the Roulette wheel.
Only once broadband connectivity strengthened were online casinos able to deliver these high-definition live streams to players.
Optical character recognition
Aside from the live-streaming technology itself, optical character recognition (OCR) was a central technology in bringing live casino games to fruition. Without it, the game software wouldn’t be able to read the physical game components in real-time and update accordingly.
OCR captures images of playing cards, dice faces or the Roulette wheel and converts them into data that the game software can process. This process happens in real time, without any delays for the outcomes to be displayed digitally in the online player interface.
This runs in tandem with something known as the game control unit (GCU), which is attached to any live casino game table. The GCU is responsible for encoding the video for live-streaming, as well as transmitting the OCR data.
Together, this technology allows for online players to interact with the game without delays.
The presence of the live dealer
Having a live dealer running the game is what sets live casino games apart from other online casino games, which are run by the game software itself. By using physical game components rather than random number generators (RNGs), these games feature the random chance of elements like the friction that slows a ball spinning around the Roulette wheel.
The phases of a live casino game run on a set timer, with players having a certain amount of time to decide on wagers or what actions they want to take during a game like Blackjack. This allows the live dealer to keep the game running at a consistent pace.
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Live casino games run along the same lines as table games played in a land-based casino venue. With the use of physical game components, they offer a different option compared to other online casino games.
