Appealing to players for their slick appearance, real-life elements that mimic the casino floor experience and engaging, personality-driven content, live dealer is a vertical that continues to attract significant investment from some of the industry’s biggest names.
In this round-table feature, we ask Graeme Powrie, Chief Commercial Officer at Eeze, and James Corrie, Head of Live & RNG at Live88, for their thoughts on how live dealer as a category is moving forward while digging down into what makes the vertical so compelling.
TheGamblest: How are advances in technology improving the player experience?
Graeme Powrie: Technology is really improving the player experience through better streaming quality, lower latency, and the ability to deliver high-quality video and audio quickly without utilising too much bandwidth and data. It makes the whole experience smoother for users, especially in areas where mobile penetration is still not wholesale.
That said, I think the biggest opportunities are in virtual elements. Adding things like dynamic backgrounds or more interactive actions brings something new and exciting for players. It also gives operators the flexibility to make changes on the fly without needing to build a physical studio, which is a real game-changer when it comes to a branded offering, and is a significant cost saver for operators looking to offer bespoke solutions to their customers.
James Corrie: When we hatched Live88, we billed it as a social phenomenon where the player is part of the product. So, interactivity was always at the forefronts of our minds – more and more features & focus towards social engagement. We wanted to dispel the image of a player in their house on a laptop playing on their own. Instead we wanted to create the vibe of players together, sharing experiences & clips of their big wins!
And we wanted it to be immersive. Now we are seeing more suppliers playing around with reactive and immersive features. We offer fully reactive environments & elements in each game – whether it’s day to night cycles, custom elements in the background for different game events. Continual improvements in streaming quality especially to older devices, and more remote areas with lower connection quality.
TheGamblest: There have been hits and misses when creating new live dealer experiences for players. Is there still an appetite for risk within this vertical?
James Corrie: As it goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And for us, in order to create a hit like we did, you have to take some misses too. Gameshows are a great example where many providers are finding it difficult to recreate that original magic – we saw the same with the slots industry many years ago but now this is a space many seem to have cracked and innovate in some incredible ways!
But in the Live space, we’re still seeing innovation around the industry, in not quite as healthy a space as slots, But this doesn’t stop the desire to innovate and take risks. We’re working on a few industry firsts for 2025 that are taking risks – but we believe players will love them.
Graeme Powrie: There is definitely still an appetite for risk in this vertical. Everyone is chasing the next big game show that can capture players’ attention. Traditional games like roulette and blackjack can only be tweaked so much before the changes start to feel limited, so the focus has shifted toward innovation. However, as we all know, creating a game show is an incredibly long and intensive process, so there will always be a balance between risk and reward.
When you launch something new, players quickly show whether it’s a hit and if it’s sticky enough to keep them engaged. While there’s room for risk, I think there’s still life left in game-shows that’s are wheel-based for example, and we’ll likely see a few more fresh takes on those before the market demands something new.
TheGamblest: What is more important – a compelling game idea or an engaging presenter?
Graeme Powrie: Both elements go hand in hand, but the game idea is crucial for encouraging players to return. A talented game presenter can undoubtedly enhance the experience, but there is no guarantee that they will be working every time a player tunes in to play their favourite game.
A compelling idea is what truly engages customers and keeps players coming back. Therefore, having a solid game concept is likely the most important factor, alongside the skill of the game presenter.
James Corrie: The short answer is that successful games need a little bit of both and then some! I would say the game presenter is the essential element to make something fly long term. There are quite a few games out there that are essentially “high card” – but players keep on coming back for the engagement and interaction with presenters. It brings us back to the discussion of interactivity.
Players want an online experience that really replicates the experience of being right there on the casino floor! It’s important to reflect on the reality that a compelling game can flop if there isn’t the presenter to bring together the game concept and the player engagement.
TheGamblest: Finally, which markets do you see as being ripe for growth across live dealer products?
James Corrie: LatAm is a market that’s growing rapidly year on year. Live88 has been extremely savvy in securing licenses in a range of South American countries that keep us able to be active and expansive as we continue to develop our roster of games, products and features. Similar can be said of the US. As it continues to regulate, it’s still new ground for us, but we absolutely predict that this will be a big opportunity for us!
Graeme Powrie: I’d say Latin America, particularly Brazil, is an area with a lot of potential. From my experience, it’s a high-volume market which enjoys the traditional live games, and there is an opportunity to bring more variants of these along with a compelling localized game show product to this large audience ,I think that could be very exciting for players.
As we see more launches in the region, I’m sure the next big market will quickly come around the corner. Everyone’s always looking for the next opportunity, and it won’t be long before it shows itself.
