Casino City's iGaming Pocket Directory - 2016 Edition

44 Sponsored by Casino City’s iGaming Pocket Directory LIVE DEALER Choosing a live dealer online casino at which to play, players generally consider three factors – quality of the video feed, ability to understand the dealers and an easy interface. 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. When gameplay 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 985 sites offering live dealer play. Last year, Casino City listed 744 sites that offered live dealer play; the year before that, the number was just 510. Many of the largest online casino operators in the industry offer a live dealer option for their players. William Hill, bet365, 888 and Gala Interactive are among the heavy hitters offering live dealer play. But the live dealer boom began with niche sites propelling 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 Celtic Casino and four other live dealer casinos, live roulette is their most popular game, generating roughly 70% of their revenue. About 20% of LCP’s revenue comes from baccarat, with 10% from blackjack. One of the interesting differences between live dealer and the traditional RNG 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. A live dealer can’t do it as fast as a computer can, 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