What is live dealer?

What is live dealer? The short answer

Live dealer, or live casino, means a table game hosted by a human dealer in real time. Cameras stream the table to your phone or computer, and you bet through buttons over the video. When the round ends, the dealer's result decides your bet, just as at a land-based table.

The term separates these games from the standard online versions of blackjack, European roulette and baccarat, where software deals the cards and a random number generator decides the outcome. Our glossary entry on live dealer has the one-line version, and the casino questions hub answers related questions.

How a live dealer game works, round by round

The details vary by studio, but the flow of a round is much the same at most live tables:

1. You open the live table from the casino lobby and the video stream loads.
2. A betting window opens, usually with a countdown, and you place chips on the on-screen layout.
3. The window closes, and the dealer deals the cards, spins the wheel or rolls the dice on camera.
4. The result is read into the system, and winning bets are paid to your balance.
5. The next betting window opens, and the cycle repeats.

Because a person runs the table, the pace is set by the dealer rather than by you. You can't speed a round up the way you can with an RNG game, which some players like and others find slow.

Live dealer vs RNG table games

Both formats exist online, and they suit different players. This table sets out the practical differences.

Fairness rests on different things. RNG games depend on tested software, explained in our guide to how RNGs work. Live games depend on the studio's procedures and cameras.

What is live dealer play worth in dollars?

The house edge depends on the game's rules and payouts, not on whether a person or software deals. If a live table and an RNG table use the same rules and pay the same odds, the expected cost per dollar bet is the same. Expected loss = total stake × house edge.

Those RTPs are for RTG's software versions as published by third-party sites; a live table with different rules would have a different edge, so check the rules panel at any table. Forty $5 bets is $200 staked, so on European roulette that is $200 × 2.7% = $5.40 lost on average. Any single session can land far from the average. Our house edge explainer shows the formula in detail.

Which offshore casinos have live dealer games?

None of our seven partners confirms live dealer games on its own site, and third-party listings disagree for two of them. The casinos below are offshore and not licensed by any US state.

LCB's SlotoCash listing (opens in a new tab) and the PokerListings SlotoCash review (opens in a new tab) disagree, and the VegasSlotsOnline Decode review (opens in a new tab) reports no live tables. Treat both as unconfirmed and look for a live section in the lobby before you deposit. Our reviews of SlotoCash and Decode track what's listed.

Miami Club runs WGS (Wager Gaming) software, not RTG. Its Terms of Use (v2.1, September 28, 2026, section 1.6) list the United States as a prohibited jurisdiction, while the site owner's affiliate program confirms US players are accepted, so confirm eligibility at sign-up. For the other partners, LCB's Planet 7 page (opens in a new tab) and similar reviews report RTG-only lobbies without live tables. Our best live dealer casinos list covers the topic in more depth.

Live dealer games and casino bonuses

Bonuses are built for slots, and live tables are among the games most often shut out. Silver Oak's terms (opens in a new tab) list live dealer games among the games excluded from bonus play, alongside roulette, baccarat and craps.

• SlotoCash: its general bonus terms exclude table games, video poker and specialty games by default (casino's terms).
• Miami Club: blackjack counts 5% and roulette is forbidden with an active bonus (casino's bonus terms). It is the WGS-powered partner whose Terms of Use list the US as prohibited while its affiliate program accepts US players; confirm at sign-up.
• Decode: its own site shows no bonus terms; third-party listings give game rules that change with each code.

If you want to play live tables, the safest assumption is that bonus money won't count. Our page on bonus game weighting explains how weighting cuts the value of play on table games.

Who makes live dealer games?

Live tables come from specialist studios, separate from the slot makers. RealTime Gaming's catalog, as third-party sites count it, is slots, card and table games and specialty games, all software-dealt. Our answer to do RTG casinos have live dealer goes into that question.

Two studio names come up around US-facing offshore casinos. LCB names Visionary iGaming among SlotoCash's providers, and a GamblingNews review lists the same studio as the live-dealer provider at El Royale Casino, though that review may be out of date. Fresh Deck Studios is another live-dealer name, but no source confirmed its use at any partner; see our Fresh Deck Studios page.

Is live dealer legal in the USA?

The format doesn't change the law. Seven states license real-money online casinos: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island. In those states, licensed operators answer to a state regulator. Everywhere else, no state licenses online casinos of any kind.

Offshore live tables carry the same legal position as every other game on an offshore site. No US state regulates them, so there's no state regulator to complain to if a round is disputed. State law decides legality for players; our page on offshore casinos legality explains the details.

Live dealer myths, corrected

• 'A real dealer means better odds.' The edge comes from the rules; a human dealer doesn't change it.
• 'You can count cards at a live table.' Card counting is mainly history and theory online; our answer on counting cards online explains why, and online RNG blackjack reshuffles every hand.
• 'A table is hot.' Past results don't change the next spin or hand. Our guide to the gambler's fallacy covers this.
• 'A live table is a way to win back losses.' It isn't; the house edge applies to every bet, and chasing losses tends to deepen them.

Live dealer reports and offers via our links

No partner confirms live tables on its own site, so the two below are listed because third-party listings report live dealer games there, with conflicting reports elsewhere. Check the lobby yourself. Both are offshore and not licensed by any US state, so check your state's law. You must be 21+ (18+ where allowed), and terms apply.

• SlotoCash Casino: $6,000 Welcome Bonus + 60 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Its site lists a five-deposit package at 25x deposit plus bonus, $20 minimum per bonus and no max cashout, with table games excluded by default (casino's terms).
• Decode Casino: $5,000 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Its site shows no bonus terms; LCB lists code DECODE111 at 111% up to $1,111 with 25x wagering and a $25 minimum (third-party; codes change). VegasSlotsOnline reports Decode doesn't accept players from Maryland, New Jersey, New York or Washington.

We earn a commission when you sign up through our links, and our ranking order is commercial. The terms shown at sign-up apply.

21+ (18+ where allowed). Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: responsible gambling tools and free help. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).