Thanks to several technological innovations, forward-thinking iGaming operators, and market-leading software providers and game development studios, I’ve noticed in recent years how today’s most successful online casino website operators have managed to replicate the Las Vegas experience better than ever.
Although land-based casinos are completely different to online casinos, the experience of playing classic favourites over the internet from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer is more realistic and immersive than ever.
Live dealer casinos, for example, give players like me the closest experience of being physically present at a land-based casino without ever actually having to leave the home.
Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at which software providers have produced the iGaming industry’s most impressive live dealer games that mimic real life to make it feel almost as though you are playing at a Las Vegas casino.
What are live dealer games?
Traditionally, online casino games have always been computer-generated, and RNGs (Random Number Generators) are used to produce the outcomes and results each time we play a hand of blackjack or spin the reels in our favourite online slots.
In other words, highly advanced (and frequently tested) mathematical algorithm programs produce pre-determined results, meaning the reels spinning randomly in any online slot is just an illusion.
Although the results are about as fair and realistic as can be, and players today are treated to games with high or above-average RTP% (return to player) payout rates, it doesn’t quite beat the real thing.
I typically look for online casino games with a 95.00% or higher RTP% payout rate when playing these types of games because the results are fair and designed to mimic real-life randomness, producing consistent random results with no discernible patterns.
In comparison, live dealer casino games are NOT computer-generated, apart from some of the second screen bonus rounds some of the TV game show-theme live dealer games have. In other words, they don’t use RNGs to produce the results.
Everything else is presented to you in real-time by an actual human begin croupier/host (aka live dealer) and streamed across the internet from a Las Vegas-themed casino studio setting.
Although most live dealer games are streamed from TV studios that the general public cannot access, some of these games today are, in fact, streamed from certain major Las Vegas casinos, such as the MGM or Grosvenor casinos.
In other words, you can get as close to the real deal as possible without having to travel to Las Vegas, thanks to live dealer games, but the casino experience is played out over a PC or mobile device monitor/screen.
You can see and hear live dealers, but they can’t see or hear you, and you can even chat with them in real-time (and chat with any other active players who have joined that game) using the interactive in-game live chat messaging feature.
Which live dealer games offer the most realistic land-based casino experience?
I’ve played countless live dealer games, and I think I’m not alone when I say that only a handful of multi-award-winning software providers have managed to nail the Las Vegas experience online.
The world’s best providers of live dealer casino games in 2024 are the following market-leading companies:
- Evolution Gaming
- Playtech
- Ezugi (owned by Evolution Gaming)
- Pragmatic Play
- Authentic Gaming
- OnAir Entertainment
Live dealer content from these well-established providers can be found at hundreds of legally permitted iGaming sites, many of which have been expertly reviewed and are currently featured on the Johnslots review site, complete with info about bonuses and how to claim them.
Other notable providers include Swintt, Skywind Group, StakeLogic, Vivo Gaming, Visionary iGaming (ViG), Winfinity, Asia Tech Live, BetGames TV, Bombay Club, and Fresh Deck Studios. Depending on where you live and which sites you join will determine which of these providers’ games you will have access to.
For example, I consider myself lucky. I live in Great Britain, which has hundreds of fully licensed and regulated online casinos to choose from with hundreds of cutting-edge, Las Vegas-themed live dealer games from Evolution, Pragmatic Play, Playtech, OnAir Entertainment, Authentic Gaming, Skywind Group, and StakeLogic.
If you are looking for a Las Vegas casino experience from your preferred Wi-Fi/internet-connected PC or mobile device, some of the hit titles I can recommend checking out before trying any others are Live Immersive Roulette from Evolution Gaming, Live Vegas Ball Bonanza from Pragmatic Play, and Live All Bets Blackjack from Playtech.
Other hit titles I think you will enjoy playing include Evolution Gaming’s Live Casino Hold’em, Playtech’s Live Lucky Ball Roulette, and Pragmatic Play’s Live Lucky 6 Roulette. The thing about live dealer games is that they can only ever be played in the real money mode, but in most of the games that I’ve played, the lowest bet per hand, round, or spin usually starts from just $/€/£0.10 or $/€/£0.20.
Final thoughts
Before signing up to a website to play live dealer games, remember to read the expert reviews to see if the site is safe. When you decide to join an online casino to play any of the hit titles mentioned above, the most important thing you can do as a player is gamble responsibly at all times.
In other words, avoid gambling while tired or intoxicated and start by setting a reasonable budget.
