If you are long enough in the online casino world, you surely have noticed that there is no shortage of slot games to choose from. They come in a diversity of themes, features, and mechanics and are among the most popular categories of casino entertainment.
According to Statista, in 2019 alone, almost 32% of gamblers in the US preferred slot machines over other games. This is true for other large countries as well, like Canada, UK, Germany, and New Zealand. The main reason behind the popularity of slots is the simple rules and extremely straightforward gameplay. Plus, you can play these games at almost all online casinos starting with 1 dollar or even less, which makes them quite suitable for risk-free gambling.
But what about live dealer slots? Are they so in demand as well, and if not, then why? And what’s their difference from traditional slot machines we know? In this article, we will throw a look at the concept of live slot games and see why they are way behind their “predecessors”.
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What are Live Dealer Slots – A Brief Overview
As you can already guess from the name itself, live mode slot games are the ones that are hosted by a professional dealer. In such slots, each of your actions is performed by a dealer that represents the game, including launching the slot. The overall game design and surroundings are different as well – live slots are played at a real studio with all equipment required for live-mode casino games in place.
As for general gameplay options and technical parameters, everything is quite standard. Like in the past, you need to choose your bet size, start the game whenever you want to begin a new round and cash out funds in case of winning. However, there are still multiple features that make live dealer slots a bit different. These cover the following factors.
- The wheel of the game is launched by the dealer and not the player.
- You can freely communicate with a dealer in real time while playing.
- The gameplay of such slots is a bit slower since it takes time for the dealer to spin the wheel.
- The results of the game are announced by dealers.
In addition, as live dealer slot machines come only with the wheel, the results of the game are also determined by it instead of the standard reels. The wheel serves as the classic wheel of fortune and covers credit values and other rewards that can be won.
Why Live Dealer Slot Games are Called Failure — Top Reasons
In reality, there is only one single title that refers to live dealer slot games, Mermaid’s Fortune. This game was developed back in 2010 by Evolution Gaming and blends the RNG slot game technique with live dealer gambling. Now, it can’t be found even in Evolution Gaming casinos, as there is not much demand for this game. Some other reasons why live dealer slot games failed to attract players’ attention are discussed below.
Doesn’t Look Like a Slot
The first and most crucial reason is that live-mode slots lack the essence and attractiveness of standard slot machines. What players have now with the only live dealer slot is the Wheel of Fortune instead of traditional reels. This can be quite disappointing for most slot enthusiasts because there are no paylines, scatters, wilds or other bonus features. All you can see is a dealer leading the game and nothing more.
Live Dealer Games Are More Expensive
When we look at traditional slot machines, they feature a demo mode as well as a load of various stakes to play for money. This means you can either play for free without spending a penny, or you can choose to place bets as low as $0.20. This allows players to avoid the potential risk of excessive losses and just concentrate on the fun part of the game.
However, the situation is different for live dealer slot games. They are streamed from really expensive studios and involve various expenses for studios, equipment, and dealers. This means the games are also relatively costly compared to standard slots, which is evidently quite a big disadvantage. The minimum amount required for such slots may start from several dollars. But sometimes you can get bonuses for using innovative technologies, such as mobile payment apps or games.
No Innovation
Yes, we agree that combining live dealer gaming with slot machines is kind of a novelty. However, it can’t necessarily be called an innovation just because today’s gaming market is full of analogue games that work following the same logic.
If you want to play games featuring a wheel of fortune, you will find a lot of popular games with more advanced conditions and features. And if you want to get a feel of a real and authentic casino, you can just play Roulette, Blackjack or any other table game in live mode.
Do Live Dealer Games Have a Future
From the technical or creative aspects, there is nothing that can hold back the development of new live dealer slots. But if we look from the perspective of player demand, the first created game in this category proved that this concept doesn’t quite have the chance to make it to the top.
Moreover, the main essence of live casino games is to give players an authentic and realistic experience. That’s why games such as poker, blackjack, roulette, and baccarat are so favored by them. But this won’t work for slot games just because no matter how hard you try, you can’t create a lifelike Mermaid in a casino studio.
