What Is Live Gaming in the Online Gaming Industry?
Live Dealer games have surged in popularity since the rise of online casinos, providing a seamless blend of traditional table games and cutting-edge technology. Simply put, live games are the digital version of classic casino table games such as Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, and Poker. However, unlike standard online casino games, these are played in real-time, offering a more immersive experience.
Studio Casino vs. Public Casino: Implications for Live Gaming Setups
Live gaming setups can be hosted in either a dedicated studio casino or a public, open-to-the-public casino, and both have distinct implications. However, for integrating virtual reality (VR) to deliver a seamless casino experience, a specialized casino studio is typically used.
In a studio casino, the environment is meticulously designed for broadcasting live games. A physical dealer is present in the studio, surrounded by high-definition cameras capturing every movement from various angles, ensuring a fully immersive experience for players. The use of physical gaming apparatus, such as real cards, roulette wheels, and chips, is crucial in maintaining the authenticity of the gameplay. Additionally, there is an onsite live dealer manager tasked with overseeing both the dealers and the players to ensure fair play and game integrity. This manager plays a pivotal role in monitoring the flow of the game, the behavior of the dealer, and player interactions.
The setup is crafted to provide a seamless, real-time experience that mirrors the feel of traditional iGaming, but enhanced with the precision and transparency enabled by modern technology. In contrast to public casinos, studio casinos are controlled environments designed to integrate advanced features like VR, offering players an interactive and engaging casino experience from the comfort of their homes. One of the standout features of live casino games is the option for players and dealers to interact through live chat. This real-time interaction brings a social element to online gaming, further enhancing the unique experience of playing at a live table. With the ability to play alongside other participants, it mimics the atmosphere of being in a physical casino—all from the comfort of home.
Security & Regulatory Framework in Live Gaming
- Money Laundering Prevention
Live casino games can be exploited by players attempting to launder illicit funds. The real-time nature of these games and transactions offers opportunities for such illegal activities. To combat this, robust Anti-Money Laundering (AML) systems are implemented to detect and prevent fraudulent activities.
Since live gaming involves real-time gameplay and monetary transactions, ensuring the security of these transactions is critical. Many jurisdictions mandate the use of PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance to safeguard players’ financial information and prevent security breaches. In addition, integrating Fraud Detection Systems helps operators monitor suspicious activity and protect both the players and the integrity of the casino.
- Collusion Detection Systems
In live gaming, players and dealers may attempt to conspire to manipulate game outcomes, compromising game integrity. This could involve favoritism toward certain players or coordinated actions to cheat. To prevent such activities, Anti-Collusion Systems are implemented, designed to detect any unusual or suspicious patterns in player-dealer interactions. These systems monitor behavior in real-time, identifying irregularities that deviate from standard gameplay, ensuring fair play for all participants.
- Social Gaming Security
While the interactive nature of social gaming is a key attraction for many iGaming users, making it a profitable segment for developers, it also introduces potential risks. Platform providers must remain vigilant about the possibility of player manipulation through live human interaction, which can jeopardize the integrity of the game. To mitigate these risks, providers often restrict certain topics of discussion in live chats and implement systems that can ban disruptive players who may negatively impact others. This dual focus on physical and online supervision ensures a safer and more enjoyable experience for all players.
Regulators play a crucial role in maintaining these standards. They establish strict guidelines that platform providers must follow to balance both the physical and online elements of the game, ensuring the integrity of the overall gaming experience.
- Dealer Integrity
In a live casino, the dealer plays a crucial role as the centerpiece of the game. To ensure fairness and maintain game integrity, thorough background checks on dealers are essential. Any unusual gaming tactics or actions by the dealer that favor certain players can compromise the trustworthiness of the game. In some cases, gaming managers may be incentivized to increase house winnings, which can further risk the fairness of play. To mitigate these risks, compliance with regulatory standards and continuous monitoring of dealer behavior are critical to upholding the integrity of the live gaming environment.
- In-Game Monitoring
To ensure the integrity of live casino games, proper CCTV cameras are installed to cover the action from all angles. This comprehensive surveillance allows for real-time monitoring of the game, ensuring that both players and dealers follow the rules. Continuous monitoring systems help detect any suspicious behavior or irregularities, safeguarding the fairness and transparency of the gaming environment.
6. Player Verification
A critical aspect of live gaming security is verifying the identity and eligibility of players joining a live table. Key concerns include:
- Age Restrictions: Ensuring underage players are blocked from accessing the games.
- Geolocation Compliance: Verifying that players are joining from approved jurisdictions, in compliance with local regulations.
- Self-Exclusion Lists: Enforcing self-exclusion for individuals who have voluntarily opted out due to gambling addiction concerns.
Effective player verification systems help maintain legal compliance and protect vulnerable players, ensuring a safe and responsible gaming environment.
- Physical Game Setup
In live casino environments, physical game setups—such as card shufflers, roulette wheels, and other gaming equipment—must meet strict regulatory standards. This includes ensuring proper measurements, the correct number of cards in play, and accurate calibration of equipment to maintain fair winning probabilities. Since physical instruments are a key part of gameplay, adhering to these regulations is essential for maintaining game integrity and ensuring a fair gaming experience.
- Live Streaming Security
In live-streamed casino games, data privacy and security become critical concerns, as real-time broadcasts are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. To address this, many regulations mandate ISO/IEC certification as a standard for live game testing, ensuring robust security protocols are in place. Additionally, the implementation of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) helps safeguard the platform by protecting sensitive data from external threats and ensuring the system’s resilience against potential cyberattacks.
- Live Auditing
Regulatory bodies require regular auditing of live dealer games to ensure player security and maintain game integrity. These audits involve thorough reviews of gameplay, dealer behavior, and transaction logs to verify compliance with regulations. Regular audits help detect any irregularities or fraudulent activities, ensuring that both operators and players are protected, and the gaming environment remains fair and transparent.
- RNG Testing
Some hybrid games incorporate virtual features, such as virtual card deck technology, which rely on Random Number Generators (RNGs) for outcomes. However, the majority of live dealer games do not require RNGs, as they operate based on physical randomness—such as real card shuffling or roulette spins. RNG testing becomes necessary only for innovative games that use software-based randomness rather than physical elements. Ensuring the reliability of RNG systems is crucial for maintaining fairness and trust in these new game types within the iGaming market.
- RTP Testing
Return to Player (RTP) testing ensures that the payout percentages in online games align with regulatory standards, safeguarding player rights by verifying that wins are proportionally returned to players. In live gaming, RTP testing is equally important, though the required RTP percentage may vary depending on the jurisdiction. Regulatory bodies enforce these standards to ensure fairness and compliance, making RTP a critical factor in maintaining trust and transparency in live and online casino games.
- Advertising Compliance:
In the effort to attract players, some operators may exaggerate or misrepresent features of their live dealer games, wrongfully luring players with ambiguous or misleading claims. This compromises the principle of fair gaming. Regulatory bodies enforce strict advertising compliance standards, requiring operators to provide accurate and transparent information about their games. Claims about gameplay, bonuses, or RTP must be backed by research and factual data to avoid deceptive practices. Ensuring truthful advertising is essential for maintaining player trust and adhering to regulatory guidelines.
Gaming Associates has been testing live Gaming for more than 45 jurisdictions due to long presence and high-quality testers gaming Associates has full grasp on addressing known and unknown security concerns and has full experience and separate team to help platform providers addressing those security Concerns. Since Live Game has a lot of security concerns by regulators, it goes rigorous testing before going into market which means testing and retesting is part of Gaming Associates package. We Provide Dedicated team to ensure Live dealer game complies with the regulatory standards
Why Choose Gaming Associates for Live Dealer Game Testing?
Gaming Associates has been testing live gaming across more than 45 jurisdictions, leveraging its long-standing presence and team of high-quality testers. With extensive experience, Gaming Associates excels at addressing both known and emerging security concerns in live gaming. We provide dedicated teams to assist platform providers in navigating these challenges. Given the strict regulatory requirements surrounding live dealer games, these games undergo rigorous testing before being approved for market release. Gaming Associates provides thorough testing and retesting as part of our service package to ensure full compliance with all necessary standards.
Our dedicated teams work closely with platform providers, offering tailored solutions to address specific security challenges. We ensure that your live dealer games meet regulatory standards while maintaining the highest levels of game integrity and player safety.
