In recent years, online casinos have become an increasingly popular phenomenon. The proliferation of high-speed internet, coupled with smart mobile devices, has led to an explosion in online activity and usage. Indeed, many people, especially younger people, are spending an increasing number of hours connected to the internet.
This has led to an increased number of activities and operations to make themselves accessible online. From businesses to non-profits and even government agencies, the number of websites on the internet continues to increase exponentially. The world has been made a smaller place because of the internet.
Many traditional casinos have seen intense competition from their online counterparts. The convenience of online casinos has led to many gamers to leave traditional casinos in droves. But many continue to stay on with traditional casinos simply because of the ambience they offer that online casinos have yet to replicate.
But this might soon change. Many online casinos are seeking to maintain the convenience of online gaming platforms while competing with traditional casinos on the atmosphere. Indeed, the gaming atmosphere is what keeps many gamers from moving towards placing their bets at an online casino.
The latest way online casinos have tried to compete in this regard is to replicate the environment of a traditional casino. The best way that has been determined is to provide a selection of live casino games for gamers to place wagers on. But this has left many wondering what live casino games are.
Casino on Your Computer
Live casino games here refer to the category of online casino games that depict a live casino table as much as possible. Imagine the casino tables that James Bond would visit in those movies. Now try to imagine them being replicated online. That is what live casino games will mean here.
This is basically the latest effort online casinos are making to replicate the atmosphere of a traditional casino on your computer or smartphone screen. It is the hope of these online casinos that efforts such as this will be able to chip away at the segment of the gaming market that are still reluctant to visit online casinos.
Live casino games allow gamers to place bets on their favorite table games such as poker and blackjack using the online platform. The dealer will take the bet and play the game out like it would have in a traditional casino. As the results come out, the winners will then receive their virtual winnings based on the odds that were in play.
These winnings would be able to be cashed out using the withdrawal system that every online gaming platform will have. The more globally oriented the platform is, the greater the variety of processing options they will usually have. Online casinos are keen on making their live casino games as close to the traditional ones as possible.
Unlike Slots
Making live casino games realistic is key to attracting those who care not just about the thrill of placing a wager, but the atmosphere in which they place those wagers. This is very different from video slot games that so many gamers enjoy. The main draw for slot games is the bright colors and the quick results.
These are indeed very important features for slot games because of the market segments they appeal to. Gamers who play mostly on slot games are generally those who do not have much time to wait or do not care about anything besides being able to place their wager.
For this market segment, efficiency is the main focus for online casinos. While having colorful and inviting graphics is still important, what really matters is getting each started and finished as soon as possible. The opposite is the case with live casino games.
With live casino games, things take a lot longer. This is because efficiency is not the main focus here. Live casino games are meant to give a more holistic experience for gamers. Live casino games are supposed to be realistic enough for traditional gamers to consider them as a viable alternative to traditional casinos. Because of this, different priorities are involved.
As Real as Possible
Realism matters specifically for live casino games. Only if they are realistic enough can online casinos hope to carve an increasing share of the overall gaming market, probably at the expense of traditional casinos. Live casino games need to replicate as many aspects of the traditional table games as well as possible.
Graphics
One of the first areas online casinos will focus on is improving the graphics of their live casino games. This is the most fundamental feature that needs to be optimized. This is because the graphics are what gamers will see first. The graphics act as the first impression of live casino games.
Even if all other aspects of the live casino game have been optimized using the best technology and expertise, having sub-optimal graphics will serve as an instant turn-off to gamers who are looking for a more authentic experience. Graphics is the first feature of any live casino game that designers need to get right.
As technology has continued to improve, the expectation for graphics has increased along with it. Nowadays, high-definition graphics might not be enough. Many online casinos will now insist on ultra-high-definition graphics from their software suppliers before approving a live casino game for public consumption.
AI Dealers
Another key aspect of making a good love casino game is having as realistic of a dealer as possible. Crisp and clear graphics need to be accompanied by a believable virtual dealer. AI dealers not only have to be realistic looking, they also need to act realistically.
Usually, AI dealers will have many conversational sentences installed in their programming that can be used in appropriate situations. Until recently, these sentences tended to sound artificial and were not used in the best way. This gave a sense of sterility that turned many gamers back to traditional casinos.
But nowadays, advances in information technology has enabled game designer to install very life-like AI dealers into their live casino games, much to the delight of online casinos. AI dealers are now more likely to be able to engage in basic conversation with players because they are better able to assess the situation and determine which sentences are appropriate without outside supervision.
Live Stream Dealers
Besides AI dealers, many online casinos have incorporated live stream dealers into many of their live casino games. This is another feature that can add to the authenticity of live casino games. When gamers book a time slot or simply open a live casino game online, an available remote dealer will make themselves available to be the dealer.
The remote dealer will continue dealing via live stream until the game has concluded or the time slot has expired. The remote dealer will then move on to the next game that they are called to host. Having remote dealers for live casino games online is very beneficial because it adds a truly human dimension to the whole game.
This is a key feature that might convince a sizeable portion of gamers who still cling to the realism of traditional casinos to finally make the transition to the online casino scene. With the human dimension being taken care of with remote dealers, many gamers will certainly see this as sufficient to place wagers through a screen instead of having to drive all the way to the nearest traditional casino.
Live Casinos as a Reward
In many online casinos, a VIP rewards system is seen as the main feature of any effort to increase customer retention. Not only does it encourage customers to stay with that specific online casino, it also has a psychological aspect to it. A VIP rewards program adds a sense of exclusivity to the gamers who qualify. They feel special and are more likely to stay with the online casino because they feel valued.
Having certain special live casino games reserved for VIP gamers has been explored as a way to increase customer retention. By informing all gamers that certain exciting games are reserved for those who meet certain wagering thresholds, many will subconsciously feel motivated to place higher wagers on the gaming platform in order to qualify for VIP status sooner.
It is probably best to only reserve a few live casino games for the VIP rewards system and have a good portion open for everyone as well. This way, the live casino games can appeal to two market segments at the same time.
The James Bond Wannabe
There are many gamers who became initially attracted to the idea of placing bets through watching movies that depicted a very glamorous casino scene. There, sophisticated people dressed in designer outfits placed massive wagers on every play and smoked the odd cigar.
This is the type of gamer that enjoys slow yet exhilarating bets that make them feel glamorous. Their goal is to live out the world of a James Bond casino scene. For this segment, it is important to offer the live casino games that are focused on realistic-looking settings for any gamer to access. This would appeal to this segment who is generally not interested in making large or frequent enough bets to qualify as a VIP but nonetheless are looking for a realistic alternative to traditional casinos.
The Exclusionary Gamer
The gamers that enjoy exclusivity do so in a different way than imagining themselves being inside the iconic Monte Carlo casino. Other gamers simply enjoy the feeling of being part of something not accessible to everyone. That is part of the reason why VIP programs make so much sense.
Part of this group will include those whose favorite games are live casino games. Making it known that certain games in the VIP lounge will be live casino games is key to encouraging this market segment to stay on with the online casino in order to qualify later.
Technology Will Change Everything
Information technology has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. Thanks to Moore’s Law, computers of all types have gotten smaller, faster, and cheaper at the same time. This has allowed graphic designers of all types to come up with better graphics as well as a greater number of virtual functions for any particular computer program.
Since AI dealers are ultimately computer programs, the recent developments in information technology can be used to improve not just the quality of the graphics, but the qualitative functions of the AI dealer. Better information technology will enable game developers to create more sophisticated and autonomous virtual dealers within a particular budget.
On top of this, better graphics and bandwidths will enable the remote dealer system to be even more realistic in the future. As information technology results in better image rendering and video streaming, the remote dealer will look as if they are right there with the gamers in the online live casino room.
All of this will translate into improving the quality of live casino games. As live casino games become more realistic, thanks to information technology, the realism gap between online casinos and their traditional counterparts will continue to shrink.
VR Headsets for the Win
The most promising technology in the immediate future is definitely the proliferation of virtual reality, or VR, headsets. These headsets can be connected to an electronic device and the images from that screen will be transferred to the VR headset. The VR headset will still provide the same images, but in a far more immersive fashion.
It will feel as if you were right there in the place you are viewing. So far, this represents the ultimate in immersive experiences. In every aspect of home entertainment where it has been incorporated, VR headsets have revolutionized the way people do things. And in a few years, the same thing might happen with live casino games online.
By fusing the excitement of live casino games with the realism provided by VR headsets, live casino games will be able to take the experience of online casinos to a whole new level. VR headsets will close the gap between traditional and online casinos to a point where many gamers will be willing to make the transition from traditional casinos to online gaming platforms.
Eating Up Market Share
As the gaming market continues to mature, online casinos and traditional casinos will both be competing against each other more intensely. This is because as the number of regular gamers increase, the pool of consumers who have never tried casino gaming will continue to decrease.
This means that online casinos will either need to increase the amount each of their existing customers wager or attract customers that already go to traditional casinos in order to continue to expand. This will entail the use of increasingly intensive marketing strategies as well as better product offerings in order to convince more people to visit that specific online casino.
Live casino games are inevitably going to be part of that product mix. Live casino games are there to provide the experience of a traditional casino. At the same time, the live casino game can be enjoyed in the comfort of the home without having to step outside. This is the main advantage live casino games have over traditional casinos.
The trick has always been to bridge the gap of experience so that gamers who place great emphasis on realism will be convinced to finally make the transition towards online gaming platforms. This eating away at the market share of others is only going to become more prevalent as competition in the industry becomes more intense.
The Future of Live Casino Games
Live casino games are set to have quite an exciting future. As technology continues to improve, live casino games will continue to receive upgrades and become even more realistic and exciting. As this continues to happen, it will be interesting to see how quickly gamers will move away from traditional casinos onto online platforms that offer live casino games that are close enough to feel real.
With hologram technology and so much being projected into the future, there is no telling what live casino games will look and feel like just a decade from now. This is truly an exciting time to watch these developments take place.
A Unique Responsibility
Live casino games have a unique niche in the online gaming market that they need to fill. Unlike slot games, live casino games cannot just stay unmodified for long periods of time. True slot games need to have their graphics upgraded on occasion, but nothing more than that. Live casinos should ideally be upgraded the moment new technologies come within the budget of the online casino to acquire.
Keeping up-to-date with the latest developments is essential when it comes to live casino games. If this is not strictly adhered to, the online casino risks falling behind not only against traditional casinos, but also other online casinos.
Live casinos are the vanguard of any online casino. They serve as the showcase games that online casinos will have advertised all over the internet. Live casino games are shown as flashy and glamorous. They seek to take gamers to a place where they feel the excitement and thrill that they believe high-rollers feel when they are in the same position.
The Need to Succeed
Ultimately, live casino games have a lot more pressure to succeed than other categories of online games simply because of their position of prominence. This spotlight that is placed on live casino games mean that these games need to be constantly refurbished and upgraded by their online casino hosts in order to keep them relevant.
At the end of the day, the main goal of live casino games needs to be kept in mind, and that is to provide value to gamers. Gamers need to feel that they received more value from their experiences playing live casino games than the money they placed on making wagers. Only then will the business model be sustainable.
This basic business concept has been lost on many online casinos and they have suffered as a result. But live casinos are ultimately a tool that can be used by online casinos to attract as many market segments as possible. How each one chooses to execute this is entirely up to them, and the consequences will be shown soon enough.