Online gambling seems to be in a continuous state of flux with news of mergers appearing on a regular basis but it does not seem to affect the live casino market which is controlled by a number of different entities. In this context live casino is considered to be the bricks and mortar variety rather than the live casino option which is available at most online casinos these days. The most recent to appear in the gambling news concerns one of the largest online gambling operators William Hill which so far seems to have been unsuccessful in finding a partner in the ever increasing consolidation in the industry. We have already seen the Irish gambling operator Paddy Power join forces with Betfair the betting exchange company and more recently Ladbrokes and Coral agree to a merger although the terms of that still have to be sorted out not only by the companies themselves but also by the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK. The latter is concerned that the number of betting shops that the combined company would have would be too great and they are therefore expected to insist on some selling off of those shops. Unfortunately there are few options available to William Hill especially since it failed to conclude an agreement with another large operator in online gambling namely 888 holdings which may of course been a correct decision. Current discussions are with a possibly lesser known company outside the industry by the name of Amaya who are based in Canada. Gambling.ie has previously reported activity from Amaya as they are owners of probably the largest online poker network of Pokerstars. The tie up would provide William Hill a quick way into the online poker market and it would provide Amaya with good access to the UK market of online gambling but there are many hurdles and concerns for possible investors. Recent news suggests that several of the major shareholders are against this merger.
The live casino market tends to be driven by the likes of Genting or in major cities such as London they have their own famous names such as the Ritz Club Casino which has also been in the news recently for having huge debts from players. Irish casino players struggle to find a true live casino but there is always the option of playing at the live casino section of an online casino. Nearly all online casinos have a section dedicated to live casino although they are not live casinos in the true sense of the word. They are live in as much as what you see on your computer or tablet screen is happening as you see it but what you see is not coming from an actual casino although there are a couple of exceptions to that statement. Generally the live casino section of an online casino is a room, which can be anywhere, which has been equipped with roulette tables and card tables and is staffed by real people. Quite often these rooms are located in Eastern European countries. The rooms are also equipped with cameras which focus on the staff and the tables and it is these pictures which you are seeing on your screen. The roulette wheel is spun and the cards are dealt as you are looking which can give some players a feeling of more honesty rather than trusting the random number generators which are used in regular online casino play.
In truth the chances of winning or losing at the live casino option of online casinos is just as great as at the regular online casino as long as the online casino is properly regulated but for some players seeing is believing. One exception to this rule of a room somewhere can be found at All Irish Casino where they have come to an agreement to have the equipment located on the same premises as an actual casino in Malta. It is still not filming the actual casino floor as that would certainly create privacy issues with other players but at least the dealers are likely to be professionals. The disadvantage with live casino is that the casino games on offer are very limited. Generally you can find roulette and of course blackjack as they are the most popular casino games that require a dealer. Baccarat can also be found at some online casinos which is the same game that is known as Punto Banco at the All Irish Casino in Malta. Just occasionally you will run across Caribbean Stud or the very similar casino game known as Casino Hold’em poker. There are differences in these two games so be careful which you are choosing. Even more rare is Hi-Lo but it is out there. Apart from these casino games there is very little to be found at the live casino version. If you enjoy casino slots as very many people do then live casino is not for you and the same applies if your choice is dice games such as Craps or Sic Bo.
The whole idea of live casino at online casinos was to satisfy those casino players who have an inherent mistrust of the random number generator which is such an integral part of every online casino. IN fact the RNG is the heart of every online casino as it is that which determines the next number on the roulette wheel or the next card to be dealt and as such determines who wins and who loses. As long as the machine is truly random then there is no problem which is why most of the top online casinos and certainly those recommended here at gambling.ie have regular independent inspections of the RNG to make sure they continue to produce random numbers. Playing at the live casino can have higher minimum stakes than regular online casinos and gives some people a better feeling of reassurance but in actual fact your chances of winning are no better or no worse than the regular online casino.