Casino City's iGaming Pocket Directory - 2015 Edition

48 Sponsored by Casino City’s iGaming Pocket Directory Live Dealer If a player can easily understand the dealer when (usually) she speaks and the video feed is good, it greatly increases the chances that the player will deposit at that site. And if game play accurately represents what players have grown accustomed to in casinos, players believe in the product and are more likely to play it. Casino City’s comprehensive directory of online gaming sites lists 744 sites offering live dealer play. Last year, Casino City’s listed just 510 sites that offered live dealer play. Many of the biggest online casino operators in the industry offer a live dealer option for their players. William Hill, bet365 and Gala Interactive are among the heavy hitters offering live dealer play. But the live dealer boom began with niche sites really propelling the growth. And smaller live dealer casinos like Lucky Live and Celtic casinos still thrive in today’s market. According to Live Casino Partners, the affiliate program for the Lucky Live Casino, roulette is their most popular live dealer game, generating about 70 percent of their revenue. About 20 percent of LCP’s revenue comes from baccarat. And about 10 percent comes from blackjack. One of the interesting differences between live dealer and the traditional RNG (random number generator) play that most online casinos offer is that live dealer play is significantly slower. Like a brick-and-mortar casino, you have to wait for the dealer to conduct the game – whether it’s dealing the cards or spinning the roulette wheel. And a live dealer can’t do it as fast as a computer can. That’s not possible. So ultimately, there are fewer hands per minute. But because player retention – and player value – is high with live dealer casinos, operators are more than happy to offer the product. And players, judging by the growth in the live dealer sector, are enjoying the offerings. LIVE DEALER INDUSTRY OVERVIEW