Category: Best UK Live Casinos

Best UK Live Casinos
If you have some experience playing at various online casino sites that we’ve recommended for the UK, you’ve no doubt come across something called a ‘live casino’ or even a ‘live dealer casino’. While this may seem like a relatively new feature at top UK online casinos, the technology has actually been around for some time now. However, thanks to major developments and breakthroughs in web technology and bandwidth, more and more top UK online casinos are able to offer the best live casinos UK gamblers have been asking for.
If your curiosity has gotten the better of you, welcome! We aim to provide you with all the information you need to safely navigate the new and exciting world that is online live casino gambling. As with all of our other in-depth guides and reviews relating to the best in UK online gambling, you will find detailed sections here, covering every aspect of live casino gambling from how they sites actually work, a brief introduction to live dealers, and what the main differences are between the more traditional ‘virtual’ casinos and the newer live dealer casinos.

What Are Live Casinos Really?
When online casinos first began to appear on the World Wide Web in the latter part of the nineteen nineties, they were rather primitive, with just a few basic games to kick things off with. However, thanks to the concerted efforts of top casino software suppliers like Microgaming, Net Entertainment, and Playtech, this soon changed.
Online casinos games, also known as virtual casino games began to evolve into far more sophisticated affairs, with each new generation adding more realism and detail to the previous version. Today’s virtual casino games are incredibly realistic, with many even featuring 3D animation technology, all in an attempt to create the most realistic and immersive online casino gaming experience possible.
However, try as the might, even the best virtual design casino gaming simply cannot give players that truly realistic ‘real world’ experience. That is, until the late 2000’s when faster internet speeds and wider bandwidth capabilities made an entirely new platform possible.
The dream of being able to play real casino table games at a real casino from the comfort of your own home suddenly became a reality. Now top UK online casinos could stream video of actual casino table games directly to their players, in real time. This created the most realistic and immersive online casino experience possible.
At first the live dealer casino was a slow starter as experienced online casino gamers weren’t quite sure of the reliability of this new platform. The few online casinos that offered live casino games were also rather limited in the range of games, mostly with just one version of roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. Some offered live poker as an extra option to draw in more potential live casino gamblers.
Fast forward to 2017 and live casino gaming can be found at the vast majority of top UK online casinos. Not only are there now far more options than there ever were before, but the best uk live casinos even offer special bonuses for live dealer casino gambling. We’ve curated and reviewed all the top uk live casinos for you, so you can find the live dealer option that suits you best, from gaming, user interface, and bonus considerations.
The best live casinos always have these features:

Live dealer casino sites are part of our recommended top UK casinos
Live casinos always use real live dealers and not ‘virtual’ (software-driven) dealers
Live casino games are always steamed directly to your computer in real time
Live dealer casino games can be accessed on most devices including mobile devices
Top live casinos UK dealers are highly trained professionals, on par with brick and mortar casino dealers
The best live online casinos feature top live table games including roulette, baccarat, blackjack, various pokers and variations of each

How do the Best Live Casinos Actually Work?
The way in which top live online casinos work is ingeniously simple. For the uninitiated, it may seem that accessing best live casinosis quite a complicated process. However, the reality is quite the opposite.
In most cases, the live casino option or platform is part of the regular online casino, think of it as just another option, rather like slots, virtual table games, video poker and bingo are options. There is no need to create a separate account with an online casino just to play live casino games. All that you have to do in order to access top live casino games is create an account, if you don’t already have one. You will also need to deposit some cash into your account since all live casino games can only be played with real money.
Once you’ve sorted all of that out, it’s time to log in to the casinos live dealer platform. Simply click on the live dealer tab or button to go to the live casino page. Here you can choose to play live dealer blackjack or other classic table games like European roulette, complete with a stunning live croupier. Every game is streamed in real time from the casino or professional studio directly to your computer or mobile device. The live dealer interface offer a range of control options including the chip size you can be with, camera angles to give you different points of view, interacting with players and dealers and much more.

Meet the Live Casino Dealers
Of course the live casino games would simply not be possible without the live dealers to control them and run them. Just like in a real brick and mortar casino, without the dealers and croupiers, you don’t have any games to play. Live casino dealers are stunning and always dressed to the nines, just as it is in a real land based casino.
However, live casino dealers are not just eye candy, they are in fact highly trained professional dealers and croupiers. Rest assured that your live blackjack game, baccarat game, or roulette game will not only be visually exciting, it will also be smooth, with all gameplay strictly adhering to the standard gaming rules.
One of the most attractive aspects of live casino gaming, has to do with the fact that it is possible to actually interact with the live dealers during a game. This adds an entirely new level of excitement and immersive reality to every game. In fact, you can even tip your favourite dealer when things are going your way, they always appreciate it.

Main Differences between Live Dealer Casinos and Virtual Casinos

While live dealer casinos offer more or less the same table games as your average virtual casino, there are a few interesting differences worth considering. Of course the most obvious difference between the two online casino platforms has to do with how you experience the games. Both offer access to high quality versions of roulette, blackjack, and baccarat, along various poker games such as three card poker, casino hold’em and so on.
However, an important distinction to make right away is that, whereas virtual table games will allow you to play for fun or for real money, live dealer games will only accommodate real money gambling. The main reason for this is that live online casino games work in exactly the same way as their brick and mortar counterparts. You cannot walk into a brick and mortar casino for instance, and expect to play their table games just for fun. In these casinos it is always expected that punters are prepared to place a real money bet.
Live online casinos do not require the same sort of software as virtual games do. Sure, live dealer games do rely on certain software and hardware elements, but these are mainly part of the delivery mechanism. On other words, the digital web cams, user interface and so on. In contrast, virtual casino game platforms are entirely dependent on software which includes random number generator software to ensure that every hand or result is completely random and fair.
Another important distinction that should be noted has to do with the speed of the games. First time players on live casino platforms are often surprised at how much slower the game can unfold when compared to virtual versions of the same game. This has to do with the ‘human element’ as the live dealer needs to deal cards to each player at the table (including you), has to interact with each player individually and so forth. In contrast to this, virtual version are controlled by software programs and when you play them, it is just you and the computer, the game can therefore run at a much faster pace.
That being said, live dealer games are starting to outstrip virtual table versions in popularity in the UK. This is largely thanks to the efforts of top software brands like Evolution Gaming, who are currently at the cutting edge of the live casino sector. Many UK gamblers believe that Evolution Gaming currently offer the best live roulette casinos on the web, with their other UK casino live game options right behind it.

How We Select the Best Live Casinos for the UK

Selecting the best live casinos for the UK is no easy task as there are hundreds of options currently available. However, as with virtual online casino gambling, one has to be very selective as not all live casinos are created equal. Live casino gaming is becoming just as important as any other type of online casino gaming, and even has its own casino bonus offers and other incentives. When we compare various live casino options for the UK, we look at the following key factors:

Range and depth of live dealer games available
Type of live casino software in use
Range and depth of bonus offers relating to live casino gambling
Customer support options
Banking options and payout speeds
Live casino safety and security

Live Casino Gambling in the United Kingdom
When live casino gambling first began to make an appearance in the United Kingdom it didn’t take long to garner serious attention within the UK gambling community. Gamblers in the United Kingdom had been waiting for years for the online casino industry to catch up with the brick and mortar casino industry. The opportunity to play live roulette and other popular brick and mortar casino table games from the comfort of home, while still getting all the atmosphere and excitement of a real casino, was irresistible. Consequently, the UK live casino industry became one of the fastest growing live dealer sectors in the world, with thousands of UK players signing up to spin the roulette wheel in a live online environment.

Live Dealer Casino FAQ

How old do I need to be to play at a live casino in the UK?

Live casinos in the UK form part of your normal UK online casino which means that you will need to be at least 18 years of age before you will be able to sign up to play live casino games.

Can I play slots at a live UK casino?

Unfortunately not. This is because live casino games are exactly the same as the sort of table games you would find in a real (brick and mortar) casino. In other words, just as it is in real casinos, the slot games are totally separate from the table games. You can however sign up with one of recommended UK online casinos and play both slots and live dealer games, all from the same account.

Do live casinos offer bonuses for signing up with them?

Yes. Many of our top UK live casinos offer exclusive sign up bonuses for their live dealer options. These can include anything from golden chips to play live roulette, live blackjack, and live baccarat, or a combination including real money to play live games, and free spins to play slots.

How can I be sure that live casino games are fair?

Live casino games are streamed in real time and you can see everything that the live dealer does at all times. The games work in exactly the same way as they do in any brick and mortar casino. Live dealers are highly trained professionals, and it is also possible to change your viewing angle while the dealer is busy.

What sort of games can I play at live casinos?

Most live casinos will at least offer the standard table games which includes live roulette, live baccarat, and live blackjack. However, many also offer variations on each of these as well as other live games including live sic bo, live three card poker, live casino hold’em, and many others.