2023: Live Dealer Retrospective

We began 2023 by ushering in the Year of the Rabbit and wondered if the rabbit would bring riches to live dealer enthusiasts.

Riches, likely no. More game shows, definitely yes.

The Rabbit hadn’t even had its first hump before Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack made an appearance, and the new game show floodgates were open.

There were those destined to be hits.

Funky Time came with big expectations and a very big price tag. It was Evolution’s most expensive production to date and within days players in their thousands were getting funky.

Red Door Roulette, and Lucky 6 Roulette were a couple of game shows we really enjoyed. The latter, powered by Pragmatic Play was not only engaging, but also offered players better returns than regular European Roulette. A game show unicorn.

There were those we felt would be misses.

Jet Set Racing Roulette,  Snakes and Ladders, and Travel Fever all got the Livedealer.org kiss of death. Bearing in mind we thought Crazy Time would be a flop, these games are probably going to become player favourites.

There were those that played it safe, sticking to the tried and tested random multiplier concept.

Ultimate Roulette, Mega Baccarat, XXXtreme Lightning Baccarat, and Prosperity Tree Baccarat all brought slightly different twists to multiplied payouts. As did Evolution’s Gold Bar Roulette do-over, Gold Vault Roulette.

There were also some completely new concepts.

OnAir Entertainment’s first game show effort was a commendable one: the very original, multi-wheeled Nexus Roulette.

Ball drawn lotto/bingo games were in fashion for a while with Vegas Ball Bonanza, Mega Fire Blaze Lucky Ball, Lightning Lotto all making appearances in quick succession. And of course there were more big money wheels – Pragmatic’s Treasure Island joined Funky Time and Travel Fever. There were also a few more ‘live’ slots, a worrying sign that this category could be here to stay.

Thankfully, developments weren’t entirely confined to new game shows.

High rollers found themselves with plenty more VIP experience tables to choose from. Evolution expanded their Salon Privé range.

While Pragmatic Play introduced their Privé Lounge Blackjack tables, which also offer players private access and very high bet limits.

In August, Evolution launched Video Poker Live, the live dealer adaption of the casino favourite game. They also revealed that they simply can’t open studios fast enough to keep pace with player demand.

They weren’t the only provider frantically expanding their live table range. Pragmatic baccarat table range grew substantially, while OnAir Entertainment made good on their promise to open more dealer studios.

On the regulatory front an interesting court ruling in the Netherlands raised eyebrows. As did the the passing of Malta’s  controversial Bill 55. While over in the UK, the much anticipated Gambling Act reform white paper was finally published.

Wishing you all a great new year, and prosperous 2024!