Live casino & live dealer explained
Last updated: 2026-07-14 · Gamblerfy editorial team · 🌐 Ler em português · 🌐 Leer en español
Live casino has become the headline product at many online casinos: a real dealer, filmed in a studio, running a real game you bet on from your phone. It feels more "real" than software games — and that feeling is exactly the point. Here's how it actually works, and the honest bit most promos leave out: the house edge doesn't change.
What "live" actually means
A live dealer game streams a human croupier from a studio in real time. You watch the wheel spin, the cards dealt or the dice roll, and place bets through an on-screen interface within each round's time window. The common tables are:
- Live roulette, blackjack and baccarat — the classic casino games, run by a real dealer.
- Game shows — money-wheel and dice-style games built for entertainment, with big-multiplier hooks.
Live vs software games
A normal online casino game uses a software random number generator (RNG) to decide outcomes. Live casino swaps that for a physical wheel, shoe of cards or dice, filmed live. The key point: the odds are identical. A live single-zero roulette wheel and a software single-zero roulette game carry the same house edge — the rules, not the format, set the maths.
| Software (RNG) | Live dealer | |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome decided by | Random number generator | A real wheel / cards / dice, filmed |
| Speed | As fast as you click | Paced by the dealer (slower) |
| House edge | Set by the game's rules | Same — set by the same rules |
| Feel | Functional | More transparent / social |
The honest part: it's not looser
Watching a real wheel makes live casino feel fairer, and it does make rigging a specific spin implausible — but it doesn't make the game beatable. The edge is still baked into the rules (the zero on roulette, the rules of blackjack), so over time the numbers favour the casino exactly as they do in software play. Live game shows in particular often carry a higher house edge than classic tables, dressed up with flashy multipliers — always check the specific game's RTP rather than assuming.
What to check before you play
- Licensing. Only play live casino at a site licensed in your country — see is a betting site legal here? and how to check a licence.
- The game's RTP / rules. A "97.3% RTP" live blackjack is very different from a money-wheel at 94%.
- Bonus eligibility. Live games usually contribute little or nothing to wagering requirements — check before playing a bonus on them.
- Table limits. Live tables often have higher minimums than software games.
Related guides
- House edge explained — the built-in cost of every casino game.
- Game contribution & RTP — why live games rarely clear a bonus.
- Casino bonus types explained — and which games they apply to.
- How to check a casino's licence — before you deposit anywhere.