How to Choose a Live Dealer Casino
If you're looking for a live dealer casino it pays to have plan of attack and a discerning eye for detail cast over any operator you are planning on trusting with your hard earned cash. This strategy shouldn't be too dissimilar to the one you would employ picking a regular online casino, with a few additional considerations.
First you want to provide yourself with a level of comfort that a given online casino is the real deal and not a dodgy operator. This of course will be relevant when selecting either an RNG (random number generator) or a live dealer casino. At the risk of stating the obvious, if you have any doubts at all that the casino you are playing at may not honor winnings, then any enjoyment you get out of your gambling experience is going to be severely diminished.
The easiest way to satisfy yourself that a given casino is run by a legitimate, trustworthy operator is to go with a name you trust. Most large terrestrial based gambling organizations with long and respected operating histories have made the transition online. This is particularly true for the larger European based gambling organizations not having to grapple with consideration of the implications of UIGEA on their online aspirations. William Hill, Ladbrokes, Bet365, Victor Chandler, Gala Coral, Intertops and Blue Square to name just a few now all offer online casinos.
If you prefer not to go with a big name operator, or are unfamiliar with the industry altogether and wouldn't recognize any names then read the 'About Us', section of the casino's website to assess their chops. Who are they owned by? Is it a large (exchange listed) company? How long have they been operating online? Where are they licensed? Is it one of the better known online gambling licensing jurisdictions like the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Kahnawake or Antigua Barbuda?
And all these details can then be independently verified. If they claim they are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, visit the Commission's website and check its list of licensed operators. If a casino doesn't have an 'About Us' page with all of these details, take it as a sign that they have something to hide and move on.
It is also worthwhile understanding which software provider powers the casino. This is relevant for both RNG play and live dealer play as typically casinos in both cases will license their software platform (including live dealer video feed) from a third party provider. Is it a big name provider like Microgaming or Playtech, in which case the casinos historical return to player rates will be subject to mandatory third party audit?
Finally, check whether the casino is a member of eCOGRA. eCOGRA are a not for profit organization set up to provide a best practice operating framework which online casinos should adhere to. The framework takes into consideration payout speed, spam policy, data security, and advertising practices among a host of other criteria.
While the above are certainly considerations you need to make with respect to selecting a live dealer casino, one comforting reality relevant to the live dealer format is that it seems to be an offering provided predominantly by big name operators who should have no trouble satisfying the above criteria. Presumably this is because it is a significant investment that the larger operators are more willing to make at this point.
Ok, so you're satisfied that the casino is a reputable operator. Now you want to make sure the casino has the all attributes you are looking for in terms of game offering. Does it have live dealer blackjack, baccarat, roulette or sicbo? What are the game bet limits? Do you need to download the casino software before you can access the live dealers, or do they offer browser based play? What does their live deal interface look like? Are they one of the few live dealer casinos offering free play?
One thing you might find with a lot of large online casinos offering live dealers, is that they offer very little information on their live dealer games. It seems to be an offering that is buried behind the dozens of pages of information provided on their RNG games. Of course 'pure play' live dealer casinos are different in this regard, and game details are typically well presented and easy to find.
I guess the key message here is do your research thoroughly so that when you do eventually sign up at a live deal casino, you can do so with confidence in the operator and their offering and concentrate on your game without any peripheral concerns.