Live casino games have become one of the most popular verticals at online casinos. Operators are now choosing to hire their own studio spaces to create unique, personalised experiences.
Deal or No Deal. Monopoly. Jumanji. It seems hard to think what could link a popular game show, board game and movie franchise. Yet all of them have their own live online casino games, a genre that has grown exponentially over the last few years. It has become so popular, operators are now looking to create their own unique experiences. That involves renting out space in live dealer studios to use their own branding and create original titles.
The Evolution of Live Casino Gaming
When you log onto a modern online casino, you will be presented with a whole world of live action. An example lies in Vegastars NZ, which supplies many games from the globe’s top studios. These start with table games, such as blackjack and poker, that use streaming technology to beam a host to those playing at home on the integrated software. Yet there are also dedicated live titles, almost akin to television gameshows.
Live casino gaming is older than most players realise. Early attempts in the 2000s ran into a trust problem: without a way to prove the dealer wasn’t pre-recorded, some studios simply pointed a second camera at a live news broadcast running in the background, so players could see the timestamp matched. It was a clunky workaround for a real limitation as internet speeds couldn’t yet support smooth, low-latency video, and few players were watching on anything but a desktop connection.
Evolution’s 2006 launch, and its wider rollout from 2009 onwards, coincided with broadband becoming reliable enough for the format to actually work, which is why the genre’s real growth dates from that period rather than earlier. They have been at the heart of this growth.
Evolution pioneered the genre, with an original sole studio in Latvia during this period. By 2020, it had acquired competitors such as NetEnt as the genre grew, and these studios now number in the hundreds. With famous games like Crazy Time, it has become a market leader. Yet there are many others, and live casino gaming has even evolved into its own genre.
In fact, the rise of live casino gaming can best be viewed from the perspective of Evolution Gaming’s market position. The table below comes from information collated by Quartr.com, in an article titled “Evolution. The Live Casino Juggernaut”. It shows just how far its market share has risen over the past few years in terms of average aggregated monthly player numbers, when compared to its main competitors Pragmatic Play and Playtech.
| Developer | Monthly Average Players in Thousands | Figure in 2020 |
| Evolution | 33.5 | 5.6 |
| Pragmatic Play | 10.8 | 0.2 |
| Playtech | 2.9 | N/A |
Personalised Casino Branding
In the early days, operator casino branding at these sites was non-existent. Green screens were often present, with players from different casinos using the same tables and games. While this is still a feature, more and more casinos are looking for their own live experience, personalising the casino journey.
Personalisation in business is now a given, due to the competitive nature of the online realm. The iGaming market is saturated, and for many operators, this is one of the few ways they can differentiate themselves, pulling away from the pack. Personalisation brings many advantages. These include:
- Improved loyalty and retention – People form an emotional bond with the casino, making them less likely to defect to others
- Competitive edge – This makes them much more appealing than operators that have generic games available which are on multiple platforms.
- Increased engagement rates – Players will play more because this is a brand they trust
- Tailored experiences – Personalised branding and marketing on games can allow tailored experiences, further increasing conversion rates.
This is being done by renting out individual spaces within the studios of major developers. It allows casinos the chance to use their own branding, design, colour schemes, assets and even adjust software to utilise their own user interface. This can create a very unique look, in keeping with company branding or just to make unique games available only on their platform.
The options for cross-promotions also exist. As it is for their casino only, they can use it to advertise. This could include bonuses, upcoming events or new products.
Vegastars NZ offers a useful case study of these advantages in practice. Rather than presenting players with the same generic feed found across dozens of competing sites, it leans into branded lobbies and curated game selections that feel tailored to its own audience. For a player scrolling through live tables, that distinction matters more than it might seem: a platform that feels built around them, rather than one that simply resells the same studio feed as everyone else, is the one they’re more likely to return to. It’s a small example of the wider principle at play across the industry in which personalisation isn’t just a marketing buzzword; it’s becoming the actual mechanism by which operators earn loyalty.
What Comes Next For Live Casinos?
The genre has become so large that companies have even sprung up that provide the technology needed for live studios. Vindral is one of these, operating in real-time production, tracking, compositing and ultra-low-latency delivery.
In a recent interview with Next.Io titled “What’s next for live casino production?” Vindral’s chief marketing officer, Tomas Agerberg, discussed the future of live casino production. He noted that “Live casino production is moving towards higher density and more fluid setups. Studios want to be able to change branding instantly, add data or graphics on top of the game feed, and introduce new options without redesigning everything behind the scenes each time.”
He then added, “The studios we work with want stability, efficiency and creative freedom, not complexity. So, when we talk about Vindral, we focus on what our technology enables, rather than how it works.”
This signals that studios themselves may have to begin adapting. Instead of renting out space to a dedicated operator, they may need to have adaptability: Changing from one operator to another in an instant. Yet it also signals a desire from operators to increase personalisation.
In the wider gaming sphere, this is quite a big deal. Titles may only appear on PlayStation, for instance, attracting people to the console. This happens in iGaming as well, but not on the same scale. Platforms’ unique games are seldom the biggest franchises. Thus, we may see radical overhauls of favourites like Crazy Time or Lightning Roulette limited to certain operators in the near future.
Responsible Gambling Disclaimer – Gambling should only be undertaken by those who are 18 years and older. This may vary depending on your country, state or jurisdiction. This is not a way to make money, but should only ever be viewed as a form of entertainment. Should gambling become a problem, then seek assistance and use the tools provided by your online operator.
