Casino gambling is in perpetual evolution, undergoing particularly dramatic changes with the emergence of the digital revolution of the past few decades.
Today, every person with a smartphone and internet access can play real money slots, lotteries, bingo, card games, and live casino tournaments.
New generation players are becoming increasingly more accustomed to online gaming and in-person gambling may likely become history in the near future (pun intended). With all-inclusive gaming lobbies that also provide dozens of live dealer tables, the iGaming industry is inconspicuously but surely pushing traditional casino gaming to the sidelines.
But like all new ideas, some have questioned the benefits of live gambling online. This has engendered a debate comparing the experiences of playing live games online against playing live games at real-life casinos.
We will now break down the contrasting aspects of playing live games online versus playing in-person live games and look at some of the pros and cons of both.
Main Differences Between Live Gaming Online and In-Person
The first and most obvious difference between playing live dealer online poker and at a land-based casino is the reality factor.
With live online gambling, everything is done remotely – which can be both a perk or a disadvantage. For instance, when you play live poker online you won’t be able to get a proper read on your opponents’ expressions and playing style.
Another notable difference is in the range of live games offered. Where land-based casinos provide live dealer gambling only for the most popular versions of card and table games, casino websites can provide multiple variations of a single game, like blackjack or roulette.
Then there are the online casino promotions, which tend to be more player-specific and can include exclusive promotions for slots, lotteries, and even live dealer games.
Pros and Cons of Gaming Live Online
There are many advantages online live gambling has over live gaming at a land casino, though there are also some snags. As we said, in the case of live poker, playing live provides an invaluable opportunity to develop a proper gaming strategy. Your strategy is often affected by the way others play, and playing online limits your capabilities of truly understanding who you’re up against.
Yet top providers of online live dealer gambling services, like casino,com, offer extremely vivid and lifelike lobbies for their live dealer tables. Additionally, as we noted, online casinos provide a greater choice of player-favorite variants of popular table games like Lightning or European Roulette, Casino Stud, Caribbean, or Classic Texas Hold’em poker, or some of the many versions of blackjack. And on top, you have alternative live gaming options such as game shows or popular slots adapted for live gaming, like Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt.
One other benefit of live online gambling is the option to gamble with virtual, or cryptocurrencies. Crypto gambling, available even for live dealer games, has become immensely popular for a new generation of punters following the rise of Bitcoin.
Pros and Cons of Gaming In-Person
Unlike online live casinos, which use technology that helps them track players’ activity in order to provide more personalized services, land-based casinos may take longer to reward your engagement, if at all they provide such a rewards program.
Then there is the free play option at online casinos that most brick-and-mortar gambling venues do not offer. Online sites, in this regard, may be seen as more player-friendly as they provide both specific guides and strategies for live gaming that not many real-live casinos offer.
Then again, real-life casino gaming offers so much more in return than free drinks. You get to whet your gaming skills, learn new strategies, have an authentic gambling experience, and interact with seasoned gamblers to pick up new tricks.
Are Online Live Casinos Really Better?
There is somewhat of a consensus in the narrower online gambling community that online live casinos are better than brick-and-mortar casinos. You can weigh the pros and cons of online gambling and can easily see why some would think it a better option than in-person gaming. The options are better, free play is allowed, and the casino’s systems keep a tab on your activity, which could, later on, lead to personal rewards.
Yet no matter how hard some online live game developers try to recreate and reimagine live casino gaming, facing your dealers and opponents in real life creates a thrill no online casino can.