This year has seen gaming titan Caesars introduce live dealer studios, merging the digital world with the physical.
It’s a new experience for players, with the brand having just expanded into its third major jurisdiction, all in the space of just a few months.
While the addition doesn’t take away from the physical offerings at the brick and mortar casinos, it does represent a push towards adopting digital products at a time when the industry needs to keep up with moving attitudes, preferences, and interests.
What are Caesars Entertainment’s live dealer studios?
First introduced in January 2025, Caesars launched live dealer tables where they use human dealers working at real tables inside their studio and stream this to devices in real time.
This allows people who aren’t there in person to get involved, as they can place bets, chat with the dealer, and see the cards being physically dealt. Unlike computer-generated casino games, Caesars’ approach is real.
While the company isn’t the first to adopt this approach, they’ve differentiated themselves by launching branded full-scale studios that aim to replicate the ambiance of their properties.
Where are Caesars Entertainment’s current fully-branded live dealer studios?
The first branded, live dealer studio, created in partnership with Evolution Gaming, went live at the beginning of the year. It was in January when it went live for players on Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casinos in Pennsylvania.
According to the brand, the experience of the live dealer is “reminiscent of the energy and grandeur of the Caesars Palace Las Vegas gaming floor.”
The Philadelphia-based studio includes five blackjack tables, as well as a VIP-exclusive blackjack table, one roulette table, and one baccarat table. Each one has a custom felt with imagery and branding from Caesars Palace and Caesars online casino brands.
In April, a branded studio went live in New Jersey inside Tropicana Atlantic City, with this featuring the same amount of tables as the previous. Then, in July, the third live dealer studio launched and is available to players in Michigan.
Why has the brand started to adopt live dealer tables?
“We’re always striving to marry the world-class experiences our players enjoy at our destinations with the online casino play they love,” said Matt Sunderland, senior vice president and chief iGaming officers at Caesars Digital, in a press release.
The introduction is described as having ‘heightened the user experience’ by ‘providing a Las Vegas Strip-style experience directly in the palm of our players’ hands.’
While the actual reasoning behind the modern move hasn’t been properly shared, it does come at a time when the iGaming market has seen a huge boom. The industry is expected to grow at an 11.5% CAGR by 2027.
Could this be the way forward for casinos looking to expand?
While some may roll their eyes at the inclusion of another technology-focused offering, the launch of these studios could appeal to those of a younger generation, or iGaming enthusiasts, who are looking for an interactive experience online.
Livestreaming has become a key feature on many social media platforms too, like TikTok and Instagram, with it having grown in interest over the last few years. In Q2 of 2024, it was reported that 8.5 billion hours of live stream content was watched across various streaming platforms.
A massive 63% of marketers were also said to be planning to increase their investment in live videos in the future.
With this in mind, it appears that Caesars’ latest digital dealer push could have come at the right time for its audience. It has also come at a time when casinos worldwide have had to adapt to meet the ever-changing demands of their audiences.
At a time when Gen Z is becoming a larger portion of the buying power, entertainment has become a huge attraction for the younger audiences. With this age group being used to livestreaming online, could the live dealer casinos become more of an interest as time goes on?
When reporting the latest figures from the second quarter, Caesars Entertainment said its digital segment had experienced one of its strongest quarters ever. There has been a 24.3% increase in ‘Caesars Digital’ in Q2 compared to 2024.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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