The live online casino is just one of the options available at online casinos

The internet has created several new business sectors over the years as well as significantly changing existing business models. Online gambling for instance is a perfect example of how well established businesses have been forced to change as more and more of us have gained access to the internet and begun to make use of it in all aspects of our daily lives. When the leading bookmakers began to establish their online gambling sites they were obviously following in the footsteps of most of the big high street retailers, and attempting to provide their existing customer base with the opportunity to shop or gamble without needing to visit one of their shops. Initially that meant that they were primarily targeting their existing sports gambling customers who would normally place their bets through a betting shop. Internet sports gambling proved to be very successful, not only because it was clearly far more convenient for many people to place their bets online, but also because the online sports gambling sites provided them with far more options in terms of different sports and sporting events. The next stage in the development of online gambling came about as a result of the bookmakers wanting to get more from their investments in their online gambling sites, and their decision to start adding a few games. It was this decision which sparked a completely new business sector which we now call the online casino sector. Prior to the introduction of casino games onto those sports gambling sites, playing traditional casino games was limited to our real casinos and the only other gambling game played regularly in Ireland was bingo. Yes we had slot machines in many of our pubs and clubs, but that was the limit of our gaming options. Once again one of the primary reasons for the success of online casinos was the vastly increased range of casino games we could play online, but the online casino operators were also prepared to listen to their customers and respond accordingly. The live online casino option which we now find at almost every online casino site is a typical example of the site operators’ willingness to please their customers. When the traditional casino game of roulette started to be introduced online, the most obvious target audience was clearly those of us who already played roulette at a real casino. Unfortunately it was that group of casino games fans who also became the most serious doubters as to the fairness of the casino games offered online. The problem was that in common with almost every other casino game featured at our online casinos, the winning number for each game of online roulette is defined by a Random Number Generator. For most online casino games that is not a problem and is rarely even mentioned, but when it came to roulette the casino software designers were unable to replicate the movement of the ball on a roulette wheel in the computer graphics on our screens. That then led to suspicions among some casino games players that the game may not be fair, which in turn could have derailed the whole concept of playing casino games online. The online casino operators and their casino software suppliers had to try and find a solution, and the answer they came up with was the live online casino feature which almost every online casino started to offer as an option for roulette players, and which has since been expanded on many sites to include blackjack and even baccarat.

Introducing the live online casino option entailed setting up a remote studio, often initially situated somewhere in Eastern Europe and installing a real roulette wheel which could be operated by real dealers. The games of roulette using a real roulette wheel were then streamed directly to our screens with no input from an RNG and therefore no unusual movements of the ball to arouse suspicion. This form of live online casino obviously solved the primary concerns of the roulette enthusiasts who had expressed doubts as to the fairness of the games, but there were also side effects which were universally welcomed by all online casino fans. One of the main advantages of playing casino games at an online casino rather than at a real casino or even a bingo club is that operating an online casino is considerably cheaper than maintaining a real casino or club. There are no building maintenance costs and no front of house employees necessary to manage an online casino, so the operators are able to reduce the minimum stakes associated with playing their casino games to an absolute minimum. As soon as you need to set up and service a building such as a studio and employ real dealers to manage the casino games, your overheads increase dramatically. That has often meant that the minimum table stakes associated with playing roulette in the live online casino mode are higher than in the standard format, which can put many new online casino games players off playing games online. Another aspect of playing roulette in particular in the live online casino mode is that the dealers cannot see the players and therefore have to manage each spin according to a fixed time scale. Those of us who started to play roulette at a real casino will have experienced a limited time in which to place our bets, but many new players prefer to take as long as they like to select where to place their bets for each spin so once again may not enjoy playing the game at speed. There is no doubt that the live online casino option has been a successful addition to the online casino experience but it is not universally popular. Recently one or two online casinos such as the All Irish casino have taken the concept even further by offering their customers the chance to play roulette, blackjack and baccarat in the company of players actually playing in a real casino in Malta. The games are streamed live to our screens directly from the casino in real time.