Information about live dealer casinos
Have you ever wanted to sample the atmosphere of a real-life casino without leaving your home? If so, then you'd probably like live dealer online casinos, a virtual playing experience that we could describe as a mix of two worlds.
It's a mix that seems to work. The live casino market steadily increased since the turn of the century to become a hugely popular online gambling format.
But what is it about playing live that appeals to players? And how do we find the best live dealer casinos? We aim to give you the answers on this page, as well as information about live casino games, and which live casino bonuses are available.
Table of contents:
What are live dealer casinos?
The concept of a live casino is simple, and we can sum it up in one sentence:
A live dealer casino is a gambling site that streams live casino games, run by a real person, to people playing at home.
The dealer responds to each game as it happens, and you can hear the sounds of the casino, such as the clink of roulette wheel or slap of the cards on the table, as you play. The real-life items are usually supplemented by virtual items, like chips or cards, for you to move around the screen.
Live dealer online casinos have been around since the mid-2000s, but it was only until a decade or so later that they really started becoming popular. Improved internet speeds led to smoother gameplay and fewer interruptions.
These advances led to more companies dedicated solely to live-dealer games. Some even built their own physical casinos with several studios for players to choose from; players could do more during the game, like use special features and interact with the dealer.
Take a look at the list of sites on this page to see the live casinos available to you. Next to each one of them, you'll see an information box containing important data about each one: be sure to check it out before playing as it'll give you a good idea about what to expect.
Different types of live casino games
If you're wondering which live casino games are on offer, then there might be more than you expect. Live dealer casinos are becoming more adventurous in their game offerings as technology improves. Here are some of the most popular.
Live roulette
The famous green table and silver wheel come to life in these real-time games, where a live dealer guides you through each spin. There are usually digital chips that you place on either a virtual board or the table itself, and you must place your bet within the live time limit, just like you would in a real casino.
The quick and simple nature of live roulette makes live roulette casinos very popular among players, and the game itself is probably the most common type of live dealer casino game.
Live blackjack
More complicated than roulette, it's a good idea to learn the basic strategy of blackjack before playing live as you only get a limited time to make a decision.
That said, the live blackjack experience is more rewarding than playing against a computer: you can interact with the dealer and see him or her deal the cards, as well as take in the atmosphere of a live setting.
Live poker
Live poker games are different to the video poker you normally come across in an online casino. You play against a live dealer instead of the computer and they give you your cards.
Also, improving technology allows for more interaction between players and dealer, which means the live casino experience is often close to the convivial mood that in-person poker is famous for.
Live Bingo
Bingo thrives in a live setting: a human drawing the numbers generates more tension than numbers simply appearing on a screen.
Bingo halls have long used a telephone connection to communicate with other halls for national games, but the new era of live bingo takes it up another level so that players all over the world can play at the same time.
Live Baccarat
Baccarat isn't as popular as some other casino games, but there's still a sizeable number of players who enjoy live baccarat with its human dealer and real-life table. Like with other online versions, the live-dealer game involves betting on the player or dealer to win, or a tie.
How to choose the best live casino
With more and more live dealer online casinos appearing all the time, there are just too many for you to try all of them — unless you have a lot of time on your hands.
Before making the choice, it's always good to have at least a basic knowledge about what parameters and characteristics a good and safe online casino should have, which is why we created our
How to choose an online casino guide.
To make things even easier for you, this page adopts a review and filter system that lets you pick out just the casinos that suit your taste. Not only do you save a lot of time, but you stand a better chance of having a positive playing experience by doing this.
To start with, you'll see a recommended list of live casinos available for you to try when you open the page. These are the sites that have performed the best under the scrutiny of our team of experts who have awarded them a Safety Index out of 10. We based this rating on several factors, including the following:
- Its treatment of players, including the number of complaints it's received
- Its size and ability to pay out big wins
- The quality of its related sites
Note: To get a more detailed summary of what goes into our rating, check out our How we rate online casinos page for a full lowdown.
While we encourage you to start with these recommended sites, you can also sort through the list with other filters.
Newly opened live dealer casinos
Live casino technology is progressing at a quick rate, and new casino sites new casino sites often use the latest features. Selecting this filter will let you see the newest live casinos for you to play on.
Live casinos that accept crypto payments
Some casinos aren't limited to standard currency deposits, like USD and EUR: they allow cryptocurrency methods as well. Find these sites by clicking the filter 'Bitcoin/crypto casinos'.
Payment method
You might just want to use your normal debit card to make a deposit. Find casinos that support popular payment methods like Neteller and Skrill here.
Withdrawal limit
It's unlikely, but you might land a big win that you'd like to get into your bank account ASAP. Some sites put restrictive limits on these, so you can filter these out by adjusting this filter.
Once you're done playing with these filters, you'll have a curated list of live dealer casinos for you to check out. Take a look through each one's vital information and review before playing so that you make the most educated choice possible.
How to find the best live casino bonuses
Online casinos have to be competitive in today's industry simply because there are so many of them. Live casinos are no different: they need their share of the player market as much as anyone else.
One way of attracting players' attention is for them to offer casino bonuses. These are typically bonus money or spins that are added to your account once you've made a deposit – as with deposit bonuses – or just for signing up, like with no deposit bonuses.
You can see which live casinos offer bonuses quite easily. Just go to our list of online casino bonuses and choose 'Live games' from the 'Casino Games' section. This will isolate just those live casino bonuses for you to look at.
You can order these by bonus type, too. Just go to the 'Bonus Type' section and choose your preference: so, for no deposit bonuses just select that box from the list.
Every bonus you see should be valid and ready for you to use on the day that you see it.
Frequently asked questions
Are live dealer casinos safe?
Live dealer casinos that are well-rated and respected by experts are generally very safe. Yet, while the standard of online casino safety has improved greatly in recent years, there's no guarantee that you'll always be treated fairly.
To improve your chances, be sure to always check out the casino's review and rating before playing. If it has a low score, then we advise you to stay away.
There are plenty of great live sites to choose from, so why waste your time on bad sites?
Am I more likely to lose money in a live dealer casino?
In terms of pure gameplay, then no. Live casino games don't have a lower Return to Player (RTP) just because they're live.
That said, it's important to always keep safe gambling principles in mind while you're playing. It's possible that you'll get caught up in the excitement of the live setting, so it's crucial that you keep your wits about you and only spend what you can afford.
Our
How to gamble safely page has some vital advice for every player that is worth taking a few minutes to read.
Do live casinos happen in real time?
Yes. Aside from possible connection problems, which are becoming less common nowadays, the live casino streams the game in real time to players. This means you'll see live reactions from the dealer and maybe also fellow players.
Which is the best live dealer casino?
While this comes down to personal preference, you can see which live dealer casino has scored the highest in the eyes of our team of experts by going to the top of the 'Recommended' list on this page. This isn't necessarily going to be everyone's favorite, but we believe it gives you the best chance of having a great playing experience.
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