Best Live Casinos 2020: The Top Live Dealer Casinos

Live Casinos have exploded in popularity in recent years. They give players the chance to enjoy the casino atmosphere and provide a highly immersive and realistic gambling experience, all from the comfort of their own homes. Here at BetCompare, we have carefully sought out the best live casinos available and brought them to you, complete with the welcome bonuses they offer, so that you can find the best one which meets your needs.

What is a live casino?

A live casino gives you the chance to play casino card and table games, such as Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat and various forms of Casino Poker, with a live dealer. This means that the cards will be dealt by a human rather than by machine. The action is streamed to players in high definition video complete with audio from a casino studio floor. During a game, players can talk to the dealers and their fellow players, just as they would when playing at a real-life casino. Due to this, it is a highly realistic and enjoyable experience, and playing at the best live casinos is akin to visiting a land-based establishment.

The vast majority of live casino dealers will speak English; however, it is possible to find games in other languages, such as Swedish, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, and more. Furthermore, it is often possible to customize the casino interface to a language of your choice. The vast majority of live casino games now use HTML5, which means that you can play them in your web browser with ease. There are a few that still use Flash technology, but these are rare to come across and will require a bit more research. As with any form of online gambling, when you are choosing a live casino, you need to check that it is properly licensed and regulated so that you can be sure that it is a fair place to play.

What to look for in a live casino

Casino licenses and legality

As mentioned, whenever you are looking to gamble online, it is of the upmost importance that you first check that the casino you are interested in is licensed and legal to play at from your jurisdiction. Only then can you be sure that the games are fair and that your money is safe.

Software providers and game variety

You should then examine the live casino providers at any given casino. There are several different providers, each with a slightly different offering. Many consider Evolution Gaming to be the industry leader, but there are also very high quality Live Casinos from developers such as NetEnt, Playtech, and Microgaming. Each of the casinos will offer a variety of games. You can be sure of finding numerous Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat games, often including variants such as Baccarat Squeeze, American Roulette, French Roulette, and European Roulette. However, some providers offer far more than this. For instance, both Playtech and Evolution Gaming have a few ‘gameshow’ style games, such as the fortune wheel games, Dream Catcher and Spin a Win. These give those who do not enjoy card and tables games the chance to still experience Live Dealer gaming.

Mobile play

Players will be thrilled to know that a variety of live casinos are fully mobile compatible. If you think that you will want to play from your smartphone or tablet device then be sure to check that your chosen casino is mobile-friendly and you will then be able to enjoy all of the games while on the go.

The advantages of playing at a live casino

There are a number of advantages to playing at a live casino. The games are far more realistic, you will be enjoying human interaction and as a result, the games are far livelier than virtual games. Features such as the ability to chat with your fellow players further this and at the top live casinos, the dealers will always ensure that there is an enjoyable atmosphere around the tables.

Furthermore, many games will give you the ability to choose the camera angle that you see the tables from, and this helps bring you even closer to the action. The tables are open around the clock and because of mobile technology, you can enjoy them whenever and wherever you desire. In short, live casinos provide a more immersive, realistic, and therefore enjoyable experience, than any other form of online gambling.

The differences between playing at live casinos, online casinos, and land casinos

There are many similarities between playing at all three. Very often, you will find the same games, you will have the same chances of winning or losing, and each is a lot of fun in its own right. However, some differences should be noted.

Traditional online casino games are completely virtual, this means that you play alone, there is no human interaction, and the games use computer graphics (albeit, very impressive ones in some senses).

A live casino introduces a human element to the games; you will be interacting with a dealer and other players while enjoying your game.

Land Casinos are, of course, completely different, you will have to travel to one and it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the casino may offer free food or drinks, but you will only be able to play if seats are available at a table, you may be limited by the casino opening hours, and the game selection will be limited by the casino’s physical size and license. All of these are issues that can be avoided when playing at a live casino online.

Live casino FAQs

Can I play live casino games for free?

Unfortunately, it is very rare to find a casino that will allow you to play at a live casino for free. Live Casinos have higher operating costs as the dealers and croupiers will need to be paid, thus allowing free play would push the casino’s costs up.

What bonuses and jackpots can I find in a live casino?

Live Casinos will very often offer you the chance to claim deposit bonuses that will increase your bankroll for playing at the casino. Furthermore, it is not unusual to find promotions offering you free chips to spend on live dealer games. Those looking for the biggest wins will be pleased to learn that many live casino games are linked to progressive jackpots. For instance, progressive versions of Blackjack and Casino Poker are very common.

What are wagering requirements?

Wagering requirements are conditions that come attached to casino bonuses. For instance, a casino may offer a 100% deposit bonus of $100 that has wagering requirements of 15x. This means that you will have to wager the bonus money 15 times, a total of $1,500 to be able to withdraw your winnings.

Will I need to download software to play?

It is very unlikely that you will as the vast majority of live casino are instant play, meaning that you can play the games directly in your web browser. However, some casinos do offer downloadable software and you may prefer to use this for convenience.

Is it safe to play at a live casino?

As long as you play at a licensed and regulated casino, such as those found on our website, you can be sure that your money is safe and that the games are completely fair.