Gambling online is convenient, as you don’t have to leave your home, you can play games whenever you want and you don’t have to put up with other players and people, but perhaps you miss that extra thrill of gambling at a land-based casino? The great news is that you can have the best of both with a live dealer casino.
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What are Live Dealer Casinos
There are no animations and everything, such as dealing cards or spinning wheels, is handled by real people—just like at a regular casino in Las Vegas.
The only true difference between a land-based casino and a live casino is that you aren’t physically there, but the rest works the same and the technological advances in recent years have made the experience very realistic.
One thing that makes live casinos stand out is that you can follow everything that happens in real-time and communicate your preferences and requests through text or audio.
No matter where you are in the world—you are watching the dealer’s every move at the exact moment things take place, and it is a thrilling thought to know that other players are seeing what you see.
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Joining a Live Dealer Game
Pros
Cons
Many online casinos have video slots and table games, as well as a live casino, and this means that you might not even have to sign up for a new account when you want to play live! If, however, you wish to join a new casino, then there are a few steps that need to be taken before you can start gambling live.
Keep in mind that you need to be of legal age in your home country and region. In Canada, the legal age for gambling is 18-19 years old depending on the type of gambling activity and any local laws and regulations.
Not all live casino games work the same, but since they are held live with a real dealer and other players, you do usually have to be online at a specific time. The games start at a set hour so that everyone can participate, and you will find all the information you need once you click on the game you are interested in.
Depending on the game, you often have to decide how much money you want to bet or invest in the first round, and these can then be adjusted as the game continues. Professional players tend to use bankroll management methods to make sure they adjust their stakes accordingly whenever they win or lose.
Pro tip: Many casinos let you see how big the jackpot is at the moment or how much money a player has won, which can be a great indicator of where you should play first when you decide to join a game at a live casino.
Prepare yourself mentally before it is time to play, as live casino games can get intense in terms of adrenaline and overall thrill! There is just something about watching the dealer on the camera and seeing the chat messages from your fellow players, and you want to make sure you are in the right headspace before the game begins.
To participate, you need to be on time, and you need to make your betting decisions in accordance with the game rules. If you are new to poker, baccarat or any game you are playing, then we recommend you read up on the rules ahead of time.
Not all games require in-debt knowledge, but it will be a lot more fun to play if you understand what is happening. Many newbies choose to play video slots and regular table games first, before joining a live casino, just to get a better idea of what to expect. Video slots can often be played for free in demo mode for practice.
The signup process is usually very simple, as most live casinos also have “regular” casino games where you sign up just the way you normally do. If you are struggling to pick a casino, there is nothing stopping you from signing up for more than one!
Pick an online casino from our list of recommended and reviewed operators above. Click the red button redirecting you to the casino’s main page.
Locate the signup button (often called ‘Signup’ or “Create Account”), where you will need to fill in a short sign-up form.
You will be asked for basic personal information, such as name, email address and password, but this may vary depending on the live casino.
The next step is to confirm your email address. The casino will send a link to your email account, which is why it is important to use a real email, with a clickable link.
Live Casino Deposits
How to Withdraw Winnings
Playing live is fast, exciting and often a little absorbing, but don’t forget that you won’t win every time. To prevent unhealthy gambling habits, try to view every deposit as a purchase and don’t expect any money back.
When you win, the money goes into your casino account automatically. Next, you can choose whether you wish to keep the money there for future gambling, or if you’d rather withdraw the cash to your bank account.
One thing to be aware of is that many casinos require you to use the same deposit and withdrawal method, which means you will be withdrawing with the payment method you chose when you made your deposit. This is a measure to combat money laundering and other illegal activity.
To withdraw, simply head to the banking tab, pick your withdrawal method and choose your preferred amount. You can withdraw all the money from your casino account, or type in a lower number to keep some for future gambling opportunities. Fees and withdrawal times depend mostly on the payment method used.
It is surprisingly common for people to confuse the term ‘live casino’ with ‘online casino’, and some even use these names interchangeably. This is incorrect, as a live casino is usually a part of what an online casino offers, and refers to games played via webcams rather than the video slots and table games found at a regular online casino.
Creating and maintaining a live casino is significantly more complex than maintaining a regular online casino, as a “normal” casino can be run close to automatically. A live casino, however, requires the casino to provide a studio where the games can be recorded, equipment, an operator, a croupier and everything else found at a land-based casino.
All this makes a live dealer casino much closer to a land-based casino than to a regular video slot online casino, and the only difference is that you don’t need to be present physically.
At a live casino, you play the same games as the table video slots most casinos have, such as poker or baccarat, but at a live dealer casino there are no RNGs involved. Instead, it is a real dealer who deals the cards, throws the dice or spins a wheel, and who announces who wins and who loses.
Live Dealer Casino Games
Let’s talk about the games you can expect to find at a live dealer casino! Slots can’t be played live as they are dependent on an RNG and do not require the assistance of a human dealer, but you can usually find an interesting selection of table games.
At a live casino, you likely won’t find just one of each game, you can expect a variety of your favourite game such as speed baccarat, VIP tables for experienced poker players and much more —there really is something for everyone.
Here are a few examples of live casino games:
If poker is your thing, then you want to keep an eye out for a live casino with a good poker selection. You can find all kinds of poker games live, such as Texas Hold’em, and you can use your poker preferences as a reference when choosing a live casino. Playing poker online and live does not require you to be an expert, but knowledge does help.
Are you in for something that has many people thinking of James Bond, elegant outfits, cocktail drinks and cigarette smoke? Then perhaps live baccarat is what you have been looking for! When you play baccarat at a live casino, it is almost like teleporting to a different place and time, and you have the chance to win some impressively sized jackpots.
Blackjack can be played in many ways, and it goes beyond just the classic seven-card type blackjack you might be used to. Try a few different blackjack games to find your favourite, play with other players from around the world and enjoy the realness of having a real dealer deal the cards instead of a random number generator.
When you play roulette live, you get to watch the stickman spin the wheel, hear the sound of the ball go around the wheel until finally dropping, and the experience doesn’t get more realistic than that when you play online. You decide whether to continue after one game ends or if you rather play something else or quit.
Live casinos started out offering mostly games like blackjack, poker and roulette, but you can now find bingo games, wheels of fortune and much more, where a real person handles the bingo roller cage instead of a computerized system.
Mobile Compatibility
If you plan to be gambling live mostly with your cell phone, then you are going to notice that some casinos have a better mobile casino than others and that the game selection at a live casino might be reduced compared to the selection found at the desktop version.
Some online casinos have an app you can download from your app store, where all you need to do is to click on the icon whenever you feel like gambling live! You can also play in your phone’s web browser, and in this case, you want to try to find a casino with a mobile web casino that adjusts to the size of your device screen properly.
No Account Live Casino
Tired of creating accounts whenever you want to gamble live at an online casino? Then perhaps a “no account” or “no registration” casino could be right for you. A no-account casino is a casino where you identify yourself and deposit via Trustly, and you save time by not having to create or verify an actual account.
Trustly became available in Canada in 2020, which paved the way for multiple no-account casinos to open their doors to Canadian players. Keep in mind that far from all no-account casinos offer live casino games, so make sure you double-check before getting your hopes up.
Types of Bonuses
As you may know, welcome bonuses are very common when you sign up for an online casino, but bonuses tailored for live casino players aren’t quite as common at this point. That said, many welcome bonuses can be used also when gambling live, and more and more casinos are offering bonuses that are exclusive for live casino players.
Before you accept a bonus offer, make sure you have a look at the wagering requirements. Live casino bonuses, just like any bonus, almost always come with wagering requirements, which means you have to fulfil certain things before you get access to the “free” money or any winnings generated by your bonus.
Here are a few different live casino bonus types to keep an eye out for:
Instead of a welcome bonus, you might find that live casinos often offer their players a cashback bonus, which tend to be wagering requirement free. As indicated by the name, you get cash back on your losses, and a commonly found percentage is between 10% and 25%.
A reload bonus is designed to encourage players to deposit money and play, and at a live casino, these types of bonuses will give you extra money on your deposit (often your first deposit). The amount is usually controlled by how much money you deposit.
While not necessarily a bonus, live casino tournaments are common! Here you get a chance to compete with others for a place on the casino leaderboard, and you compete for your fair share of an often large jackpot sum.
Conclusion
A live dealer casino is often part of an online casino, but live games work very differently. They can require a little more of their players compared to video slots and RNG-controlled table games, but for the casino lover—it will be well worth it.
It is a good idea to have a basic idea of how the game you intend to play works before you start playing at a live casino, as it is otherwise easy to get confused. Some games have strategies that could help you win or prevent you from losing too much, and other games may be 100% random. Either way, knowledge leads to a better gambling experience.
If you are looking for a more authentic casino experience without having to leave your home, then a live dealer casino might be the right choice for you! Why not give it a try and see what you think?
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Live Dealer Casinos in Canada
Live dealer casinos can usually be found as part of the game selection at an online casino. Have a look at a few different casino websites to see if they have a decent selection of live casino games.
As long as you choose a well-known online casino, then you don’t have to worry about gambling live. Live casinos are just as reliable as regular online casinos and you get to watch everything that happens through a live-stream.
Yes, live casinos are legal in Canada, and they abide by the same rules and regulations as a normal online casino.
Anyone who is of legal gambling age in Canada (18-19 depending on the area) can play at a live dealer casino.
A live dealer casino is an online casino where real dealers replace the random number generators used for slots and video table slots, just like at a real and land-based casino.
First you need to find a casino, create an account (unless you are intending to play at a no-registration casino) and make a deposit, and then you are ready to choose your live casino game and start playing!
Not all live dealer casinos offer bonuses, but you can read more about this on each casino website before signing up. If your casino does have bonus offers, then you just need to fulfil their set requirements to access one.
Experienced online casino writer and reviewer who loves to share her knowledge and experience with others. She enjoys analyzing the latest trends in the industry and offering valuable tips to help others by having the most from betting at online casinos. She is constantly looking for new and interesting topics to write about and stays up-to-date on the latest changes in the online gambling industry.
