Live casinos straddle the line between playing casino games online and visiting a traditional casino. They allow you to play your favorite titles, including slot games, from the comfort of your home. But beyond that, they imitate the authentic gambling experience available at brick-and-mortar casinos, allowing you to see other players, interact with live dealers, and more. But how exactly is this possible? How do top casino sites like Betway manage to bring the casino atmosphere to your home? Here is a look at the technology that drives online casino games.
The Popularity of Live Casino Games
Part of the appeal of live casino games draws from how they operate – in the general sense. Compared to other online casino games, these games offer players a slightly higher payback rate. This means you have slightly better odds of winning a live game than a standard casino game.
Moreover, live casino games are designed to be more interactive. They limit the distractions you may face playing games like online poker in your game, adding a social aspect to your gameplay. The introduction of other players and live dealers makes the experience all the more “real.”
And, as the cherry on top, live casino games are accessible across many devices. This means you can play with people in Montreal without leaving your bedroom in Canada. These logistics are what make live casino games so popular. Now, a look at the specific technologies:
Optical Character Recognition
As mentioned, you can participate in a live casino game from virtually any device. This usually happens over a console that streams all the happenings in the game to your screen. And these processes are powered by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Essentially, OCR translates and transmits all the dealer’s actions to your screen in real-time. It captures every move, including the spinning of the wheel in roulette, the shuffling of the card in card games, and the casting of the die in craps.
Game Control Unit
Every table in a live casino is fitted with a small device called a Game Control Unit. The Unit works in conjunction with sensors – also fitted on the table – to encode all the video data broadcast during a live casino game. Additionally, it scans the magnetic strips on cards to keep track of the hands. All of this information helps the dealer maintain a sense of the game during gameplay.
Cameras
Of course, live casino games are built around cameras that capture what is happening in the casino studio so you can see it. Most live casinos mount multiple cameras around the tables so you can have different views of the game. For instance, a live roulette game may feature one camera over the table, one showing the wheel, and another displaying different pictures.
Monitor
Live dealers usually have a monitor they can look into during the game. This screen tells them what they need to know to run the game. Essentially, it displays information such as the number of people playing, their names, active live chats, and wagers placed.
Conclusion
As you can see, the concept of live casino games is even more fascinating up close. The social aspect it adds to online gambling is even more exciting and bound to keep attracting more players. As advancements in VR and the Metaverse continue to infiltrate the gaming industry, it will be interesting to see how live casino game technology evolves.