Current state of play with live dealer software

Who's top of the league?

Live Dealer games are all the rage with players seeking more immersive and engaging ways to experience the casino. They are the pinnacle of online gaming, delivering the most realistic gambling experience through the use of live dealers and gameplay straight to a user’s phone, tablet or desktop via live video stream.

This is the closest a player can get to the casino, without travelling to one themselves, and is a widely popular way to play. As such, the competition to provide the best live software is fierce, but unlike other areas of casino software, there aren’t that many contenders, but all are clamouring to be crowned king. This creates a drive for non-stop innovation and pushing the market further than it's gone before, with each provider keen to flaunt and develop the newest tech or new games.

Last year, in particular, saw a huge push from Evolution Gaming, NetEnt and Playtech to bolster their platforms, upgrade studios and focus on the live mobile experience. As 2019 draws to a close, let’s take a look at the current state of play with Live Dealer casino software!

Who makes live dealer software

• Microgaming | Launched 1994: Microgaming Live is not something you hear much about, which is surprising as they are lauded as a giant of the iGaming industry. The main reason for this is because they saw slow growth and so back in 2015 they axed their Live Games and struck a European Partnership with Evolution Gaming Gaming, agreeing to stock Evolution Gaming Live at all MG Casinos.
• Playtech | Launched 1999: Playtech offers a great range of Live Casino games, but they are less popular with UK Casinos as players prefer Evolution Gaming. However, their Live software has some perks that others do not and allows you to play up to 3 games at once with a multi-window feature. They broadcast from around the world offering Roulette, Blackjack and Poker in many variants and languages, appealing to worldwide casinos.
• Evolution Gaming | Launched 2006: Evolution Gaming is top of the Live Dealer food chain, younger than others, but created with the sole purpose of making Live Dealer games, they offer some of the best options on the market, and are definitely the most innovative Live producer. Not only do they stock dozens of classic tables, but they’ve also converted the market on newer styled games, offering a game show atmosphere and huge fun. Titles include Live Football Studio, Dream Catcher and Deal or No Deal. Evolution Gaming was also the first to pioneer Live Casino Streams where the game is being played for real, from some of the world’s best casinos, and live-streamed to players who bet online! For every Live Casino enthusiasts, Evolution Gaming is a must-try.
• Pragmatic Play | Launched 2015: Pragmatic Play is a latecomer to the iGaming software industry, having launched in 2015. Instead of taking the usual route and developing their own live studio, Pragmatic decided to buy and absorb Extreme Live Gaming in 2018. This provides Pragmatic with a fantastic range of ready-built Live Dealer Tables and Live Streams from inside Admiral Casino Gibraltar! The Pragmatic collection is distinctive and offers something different from the other providers, definitely worth a try!
• NetEnt Live | Launched 2013 (NetEnt originally, 1996): NetEnt, like Evolution Gaming, have created their own live gaming division, NetEnt Live. It focuses solely on Live software, which they create in collaboration with players to offer Live Roulette and Blackjack. NetEnt Live Perfect Blackjack is particularly well-known as it teaches strategy as you play, but be warned the NetEnt Live collect is on the smaller side.

Find out more about which Live Casinos that UK Players can access and get an in-depth round-up for the industry and games on offer with CasinoGuide.

Live Dealer Technology Timeline

(Graphic source: CasinoGuide, 2019)

Who is leading the market?

As you can see from the timeline, Evolution Gaming Gaming is also the most innovative producer on the market having launched the first Live Casino Streams and more recently their range of Next Generation Live Games, which puts them way ahead of what any other live studio can offer and means that both players and casinos favour them! Although they may not have been the first Live Casino software on the market, they are certainly argued to be the most focused concentrating on only producing live games and keeping them on top!

Who has won the most live dealer awards?

Without a doubt, Evolution Gaming Gaming has been awarded more for its software than any other Live producer. Most recently EGR named them Live Casino Operator of the Year for the 10th year running - a clear sign of who the industry experts have crowned King and they well deserve the accolades.

Who has the biggest live suite?

Again, the answer is Evolution Gaming - not only do they have the most games to choose from, but also the best range of game type. Find classics, like Blackjack, Roulette and Poker, classics reinvented like Speed Roulette, Silent Blackjack, Squeeze Baccarat or Party Blackjack as well as loads of newer titles that are ground-breaking like Football Studio and Dream Catcher and lesser-known casino games like Dragon Tiger! Whilst other live casino software excels in certain areas, Evolution Gaming has the whole gaming genre covered and is constantly releasing new games.

The bottom line: why does evolution gaming dominate casinos?

If you’re familiar with the Live Casino or have taken a stroll through any Live Casino lobby, you’ll notice that Evolution Gaming is by far the most popular producer of Live Dealer Games. Unlike other areas of the casino, where you can find a mix of games from sometimes more than 30 software developers when it comes to Live games, casinos tend to sign exclusive deals or opt for one or two developers at most. Evolution Gaming is naturally the most popular due to the range and popularity of their titles. Collections are then supplemented, if at all, by another producer, say NetEnt options, but by and large, casinos tend to stick to exclusive deals with producers like Evolution Gaming and Playtech. This makes the Live software sector much more competitive as it’s harder for producers of Live Dealer games to earn a place on the online casino floor.