Live Dealer Games: How Studios and Tables Are Regulated

Live dealer games stream a real table with a human croupier to the player’s screen, with bets placed through an on-screen interface. They sit between a land-based casino and a software game, and Canadian regulators treat them as a category of their own.

Where the studios are

Most live games are produced by specialist studios rather than by the casino brand. In Ontario, a studio supplying licensed operators must itself be registered as a gaming-related supplier, and its equipment, card shoes and roulette wheels are subject to testing in the same way as a software random number generator. Studios serving Ontario players are often located inside the province for that reason.

Fairness checks

Because results come from physical cards and wheels, fairness is verified through independent testing of the equipment, camera coverage of every deal and retained video. Optical readers record each card so that disputes can be reviewed against the footage. The published return to player for a live table reflects the game rules rather than a programmed percentage.

Player protection at live tables

The same deposit limits, session reminders and self-exclusion tools apply to live games as to any other product. Chat with the dealer is moderated, and operators must display the elapsed session time and net result on request.

Live games also carry a higher cost for the operator, which is why they contribute less toward bonus wagering requirements and why table limits are typically higher than on automated versions of the same game.