Breaking the Mold: Live Dealer Casinos Australia

The average gambler has experienced the difference between live casino table games and the online, computerized variety. As such, you probably understand there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Today we’ll talk about getting the best of both worlds by evaluating the top live dealer casinos Australia has to offer.

First things first, I’ll give a brief description of how live dealer casino games work, and how they eliminate the majority of disadvantages associated with both live and traditional online games.

How Live Dealer Casinos Work

A live dealer casino is a perfect meld of live and online table games. They take place in an actual studio, built and furnished to mimic a real, land-based casino. Professional dealers work each table, and floor managers walk the room, just as they would in a land-based setting.

The only thing missing is the players – in a physical sense. Instead of sitting in a seat in front of the table, the players are all at home on their desktop computers, or out and about in the world, playing on a smartphone or tablet.

Advantages of Live Dealer Casinos

What is it that turns people off from playing in a live casino? For some it’s the crowds and potential lack of open seats. For others, it could be the expense of traveling to a live casinos, or maybe they don’t have access to a live casino in their area. A few may even be turned off by the obligatory tip that all live dealers expect.

Now let’s turn the tables and ask the same question about traditional online table games. The vast majority of those disenchanted with the online variety feel that way because they don’t want their fate in the hands of a computer chip. Random number generators are expected in slot machines, but less favored in card shuffling. There’s also no interaction to lighten the mood.

At live dealer casinos, Australia’s gambling enthusiasts won’t have to deal with crowds, travel expenses, or even those pesky tips. At the same time, they’ll have the confidence of knowing a real, professionally trained dealer is shuffling and dealing a real, physical deck of cards. Plus, players get the social experience of interacting with the dealer and each other.

Best Live Dealer Casinos Australia

The three top picks – and the only ones worthy of play, in my honest opinion – are the live dealer casinos provided by Evolution Gaming, PlayTech and Microgaming.

1. Evolution Gaming Live Dealer Casinos

Evolution Gaming gets the top vote for a multitude of reasons. Evolution opened its first live dealer studio in 2006, and their experience really shows. Their tables are the cleanest, the dealer’s are the most affable, and dedicated servers provide the highest quality streaming video I’ve come across.

The company also has a very impressive line-up of licensees, available at more than 400 online and mobile casinos worldwide. They are licensed in the distinguished jurisdictions of Alderney, Malta, and the UK. They have three live studios Latvia, Malta, and their newest location, Romania.

Evolution also presents a vast selection of table games that includes 20 variations of live dealer Baccarat, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Casino Holdem, Roulette, Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Holdem.

2. Playtech Live Dealer Casinos

Playtech has come a very long way over the years, and now sits just below Evolution Gaming on the live dealer totem pole, for much the same reasons. The software is excellent, as is the live streaming quality. Playtech has two live studios in Latvia and the Philippines.

The company’s live dealer software is licensed in the Isle of Man, Philippines and the UK, and is employed by over 200 operators. Playtech’s game variety encompasses two dozen variations of live dealer Baccarat, Blackjack, Casino Holdem, Hi-Lo, Roulette and SicBo.

Despite so many similarities, Playtech came in #2 below Evolution because the software can be a bit glitchy during peak hours.

3. Microgaming Live Dealer Casinos

Rounding out the top three is Microgaming. I actually play these tables pretty often, simply because I’m a huge fan of Royal Vegas Casino. But in all honesty, there’s a reason Microgaming came in #3.

The company has a fantastic reputation, and its live dealer software lives up to the brand name. It’s fast, it’s dependable, and the picture quality is superb. However, it’s live tables, based in Ontario, Canada, lacks the ambiance of its rivals. The studio is drab and dark, and even the dealer’s – while professional – show little or no emotion.

In terms of game variety, that is a bit limited as well, catering only to 8 variations of live dealer Baccarat, Blackjack, Casino Holdem and Roulette. Their biggest selling point has to be availability, as Microgaming supplies its Isle of Man and UK licensed software to nearly 500 operators.

Worst Live Dealer Casinos Australia

And alas, here are two of the worst live dealer casino platforms that you’ll probably want to avoid. They include Global Gaming Labs and Vivo Gaming (sorry guys!)

1. Global Gaming Labs Live Dealer Casinos

This company’s #1 priority seems to be providing a product that US-facing operators can employ. Their studio is located in Costa Rica, where a license is easy to come by, and requires no actual oversight by any government regulator. The software is buggy, audio is terrible and it’s not even compatible with mobile devices.

Enough said…

2. Vivo Gaming Live Dealer Casinos

Vivo is also located in Costa Rica, but they at least acquired a respectable license from Curacao. However, the software interface is not very user friendly, and it doesn’t even provide house rules for the limited number of games available. Worse, the company neglects to provide much information about its operations. Transparency is a big deal at live dealer casinos. Australia players would do well to remember that.

On the plus side (just a little plus, really), they are licensed to over 70 operators and recently launched the first (and currently only) live dealer craps tables.