Whilst traditional casinos are what jumps to mind first whenever one thinks of gambling, this now-antiquated form of risk-focused entertainment is fast being outmoded by new, more technologically advanced competitors, all of which operate over the online realm. Helped along by the rampant popularity of smartphones and the impressive rollout of high speed internet the world over, online gambling has garnered a massive following, however this newly-hatched industry is already undergoing a period of flux, with completely live services being developed and released to bolster the line-ups of sites.
What is behind the live casino and live gambling products being enjoyed by gamers though? Well, the answer dwells upon, perhaps understandably, technologies that are considered in many fields as cutting edge – that is, far more advanced than a simple webcam setup!
Live casino gaming is a relatively recent phenomenon in the online casino world, and at sites such as MrSmithCasino players can enjoy fully live titles, played with individuals across the world in games that often feature real-life croupiers! But how do these games work on a technological level? Firstly, real-life dealers, viewed by players via a live streaming video link, run the games (as supposed to a computer). Players wishing to make bets can communicate with the dealer via text or voice chat, placing bets through the in-game console that is connected to the user’s account.
In the running of the games’ machinations themselves though, far more advanced tech is used. Optical character recognition technology (OCR) is the most popular means; here, the spins on the roulette table or cards dealt in a card game are scanned by a computer and the results are sent electronically to players. This is in comparison to the fully-automated mechanisms of ‘regular’ online casinos. Live casino games are maligned by many smaller companies in the industry for being expensive to run, and it’s easy to see how the prices can rise precipitously compared to regular online casino games.
On the other hand is live betting. Here, players can bet on the chances of their favourite teams even whilst the game being betted on is taking place. To do this, players will often interact with the betting companies via a smartphone application whilst watching their game, with companies often posting particular wagers and odds in the halftime period. Alternatively, through live-streaming, players can watch the games from these very same mobile devices, making choices depending on the regularly-changing odds displayed on sites and cashing out when the particular conditions of their bet come through, again, even during mid-game.
Do you already enjoy the excitement of live gambling? What have your experiences been characterised by? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.