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How Live Casinos Work Behind the Scenes
Many people believe that live casino dealers work from home — but that’s not true. Let’s take a closer look at how everything actually works in practice.
All live broadcasts are streamed from specialized studios equipped with advanced technology to ensure high-quality video and sound. The process is supervised by a professional team — from technicians to lighting operators — who maintain order on the set and handle the studio’s setup and décor.
Dealers don’t just shuffle cards: each studio has monitors that allow them to follow the game flow and interact with players in real time.
Here are some key aspects of live casino operations:
- Set and equipment: Gaming tables and other elements are real and of high quality. The only exception is the background, which may be replaced by a chroma key (green screen).
- Adaptive Bitrate (ABR): This feature affects video quality and streaming speed. Although multiple streams can be configured for different quality levels, ABR automatically adjusts to the user’s internet connection.
- Frame Rate (FPS): Streams are broadcast at 50−60 frames per second, providing smooth motion. Lower frame rates are used only for pre-recorded content.
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR): This technology allows players to see the cards without manually focusing on them, enhancing the overall user experience.
It’s important to note that video transmission always involves a delay. The latency depends on the type of game: in poker it must be minimal, while in slower games like the Wheel of Fortune, a longer delay is acceptable.
Different data transmission protocols are used:
- WebRTC: Provides a delay of around 500 ms — ideal for card games, though it’s more complex to scale.
- HESP: Offers about 1 second of latency and is easily scalable through CDN, suitable for most formats.
- HLS and DASH: Deliver high video quality with a 3−7 second delay, which works well for large audiences.
To protect the stream from fraud, operators use tokenization and DRM (digital rights management) systems.
Only after all these processes are set up does the actual streaming begin. For players, it looks like a simple casino broadcast — but for operators, it’s a complex system that requires constant, daily coordination.