Even though online casinos changed the gambling sector forever, the sector still fell short in some aspects. One of the most notable shortcomings was that it did not offer the same ambiance that most people loved about brick-and-mortar casinos. As such, the search for better ways to bridge that gap began shortly after the arrival of online gambling sites.
Live online casinos were the solution to this problem. Coming in a little over a decade after the launch of the first online casinos, the first live dealer casinos promised to give players the best of both worlds. They could still enjoy playing their favorite casino games from the comforts of their home while still maintaining a bit of the realism that comes with being at a land-based gambling venue.
At first, they were a little rough around the edges which is understandable for any innovative product in its nascent stages. Thanks to new gadgets and technological advancements, things have gotten much better over the years. Today, players can tap into immersive live casino experiences that would have seemed to be straight from science fiction a few decades ago.
Let’s have a look at these marvelous technologies that are powering modern live online casinos.
High-Definition Video Streaming Technologies
Relaying video information from an online casino to the player and vice versa goes well beyond the camera equipment. Capturing the video is just one part of the process. For that, the studios require high-quality cameras. Players also need to have decent cameras in cases where they also need to show what they are doing.
The next step is ensuring that the video is relayed between the players and the live casino studio. This is where modern high-speed communication networks come in. Next-gen Wi-Fi and even 5G networks have made this even better. There are even dedicated streaming services built for the sole purpose of letting online casinos deliver the most optimal live gaming experiences to their customers.
Optical Character Recognition
In live online gaming, the video has to be interpreted at both the origin and the destination. Live dealer casino studios could do this thanks to Optical character recognition software (OCR). These are built specifically to relay all the aspects of the live dealer casino game over the internet.
Today things have gotten even more advanced thanks. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning mechanisms have become very common. These not only make the gaming experience more refined but also contribute to making live casinos more trustworthy. That is because they can help in detecting anomalies and advice accordingly.
A great example of the data that these technologies crunch are the winning numbers on roulette wheels. Similarly, they also help in the interpretation of the card values at blackjack tables. More info on live roulette and other table games can be found on our dedicated casino game guides.
Gaming Control Units
This is another component that is very hard to miss at any live online casino. Their role is to encode all the gaming content. With that, they ensure that the live dealers at the casinos have all the data they need to support the player experiences. Advanced gaming control units make use of the latest technologies to enhance their performance.
For the gamers, it is the gaming control units that show them how some of the live dealer games are progressing. Players in a roulette table, for instance, get to see the winning numbers. The mechanism also informs the players whether they have won or lost their bets.
The Future of Live Casino Gaming
Aside from the aforementioned technologies, there are other important aspects that are worth mentioning. Such things as monitors, digital casino wheels, instant messaging, lighting equipment and cloud storage are vital to the live gaming experience. In fact, they are standard and can be found in every live casino studio. We also expect them to remain an integral part of the iGaming experience for years to come.
Now, as much as we are enjoying what the modern online casinos have to offer, there is a lot of interest in the casino of the future. In the context of live dealer online casino games, there are lots of possibilities. Some of the technologies that will define the next generation of live casino gaming are already with us.
These include advanced technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Both have already found use cases in several other industries. Their potential has made them a key interest for casino operators and there are even already powering some iGaming experiences. It will, of course, take a bit of time for the technology to mature but the future looks bright for those that are interested.
As it stands, the best we can do is wait. Besides, live casino gaming is better than ever. That should be more than enough to keep us all entertained at least until the casino of the future arrives.