Platform provider versus casino
In order to play a live casino game you will need to find an online casino offering live games and register a playing account. But as depicted in the above diagram, often the video stream and associated bet interface are not developed and managed by the casino, but rather licensed from a third party provider.
There are a number of live casino platform providers out there selling their services to online casinos. Some are well known RNG casino software developers who have expanded their offering to include live dealer studios and streaming, like Microgaming and Playtech. Others are ’pure plays’ like Evolution Gaming, Vuetec, HoGaming and Entertasia that have emerged in the last few years as the niche live casino industry has developed.
What does the interface you see/play on look like?
This varies slightly between platform provider and casino (branding tweaks), but in the main there is a typical look and feel that is commonly employed. Set out below is a screen grab of a typical interface, with the webcast inset top and centre and surrounded by all your betting instructions and information. Links to help and house rules are all provided as well as a full history of bets placed and outcomes.
Some providers offer the chat functionality, so you can chat to the dealer and other players. Some also offer the ability to enlarge (or enlarge and detach) the video stream to full screen view. Some also offer the ability to view all bets placed by other players on the roulette table during the time afforded to place bets (Smart Live Casino).