Real dealers
Streamed live from a studio, not computer generated. Every round is recorded.
Live casino games stream a real dealer from a studio in real time, with your bets placed over the video. That makes them the most connection-sensitive games online — and the most like an actual casino floor. This guide covers the game formats, what your connection needs to handle them, and what to do when a stream misbehaves.
OVERVIEW
A live casino game is a video stream with a betting layer on top. A real dealer deals real cards or spins a real wheel in a studio, cameras capture it, and your bets are placed through an overlay on the video within a fixed betting window.
That architecture explains most of what makes live games different from pokies. A pokie runs locally in your browser, so a brief connection hiccup barely matters. A live game is streaming continuously, so latency and bandwidth affect it directly — and if your bet arrives after the betting window closes, it doesn't count.
It also explains why live games are usually excluded from bonus wagering. The house edge on baccarat or blackjack is far smaller than on a pokie, so operators weight them at 10% or nothing at all. If you're clearing a bonus, live tables will barely move your progress — see the wagering requirements guide.
Streamed live from a studio, not computer generated. Every round is recorded.
What a stable HD stream generally wants. Consistency matters more than peak speed.
Bets must land before the window closes. High latency can get them rejected as late.
Live games often count 10% or nothing toward wagering requirements.
LIVE GAME CATEGORIES
The dominant live format across the Asia-Pacific region. Simple to play — you bet on Player, Banker or Tie, and the dealer does the rest. Banker carries the lowest house edge of the three, which is why it usually attracts a commission on wins. Side bets like Perfect Pair and Dragon Bonus pay more but carry a much higher edge.
The lowest house edge on the floor if you play basic strategy. Seats are limited at most tables, so popular ones fill up — many studios offer "bet behind" so you can back another player's hand while you wait. Check whether the table pays 3:2 or 6:5 on blackjack; the difference is significant.
European roulette has a single zero and roughly half the house edge of the American double-zero version. If both are offered, European is the better bet every time. Some studios run auto-roulette with faster round times and no dealer.
Sic Bo is a three-dice game with a wide range of bets and widely varying edges depending on which you pick. Dragon Tiger is the fastest game in most studios — a single card each side, one decision, done in seconds.
Wheel-based formats with presenters, bonus rounds and multipliers. Higher house edge than traditional table games, but built for entertainment rather than odds.
Studios run tables at different stake levels, from low-limit tables suited to small bankrolls up to VIP tables. The limits are shown in the lobby before you join, so you can check before sitting down.
CONNECTION & PERFORMANCE
Two different problems with two different symptoms. Not enough bandwidth means the video buffers or drops quality. Too much latency means the video looks fine but your bets arrive late. A fast NBN connection with high latency will give you a crisp picture and rejected bets.
That's what a stable HD live stream generally wants. Less is fine for SD. Consistency matters more than peak speed — a steady 5 Mbps plays better than a connection that spikes to 50 and drops to 1.
Latency rises sharply with distance and through walls. Use the 5GHz band where you can — it's faster and less congested, though its range is shorter. Two rooms away on 2.4GHz is a common cause of stuttering that looks like a platform fault.
Most live interfaces have a settings icon with a video quality option. Dropping from HD to SD roughly halves the data needed and usually stops buffering immediately. You lose a little sharpness and gain a stable game.
A VPN adds latency by routing traffic through an extra server, and can place you in a region the streaming provider doesn't serve. If you're using one and the stream misbehaves, turn it off and test again.
Full troubleshooting steps in the live casino lag guide.
FOR A GOOD SESSION
CAUSES PROBLEMS
MOBILE EXPERIENCE
Live games run as HTML5 in a mobile browser, so nothing needs installing on either iOS or Android. They are noticeably more demanding than pokies though, and a few things are specific to phones.
Thermal throttling. If your phone gets warm during a long session, it deliberately slows down to cool off, and the stream stutters as a result. Take the case off and give it a break.
Battery saver. Low power mode throttles the processor and restricts background network activity. It's a frequent cause of stuttering that appears late in a session, right when the battery drops.
Older devices. Live video decoding is genuinely demanding. A phone more than four or five years old may simply be at its limit, and no setting will change that.
More on mobile setup in the app versus browser guide.
QUICK REFERENCE
| Game | Pace | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | Moderate | Simple decisions, low edge on Banker | Side bets carry a much higher edge |
| Blackjack | Moderate | Lowest edge if you play basic strategy | Check 3:2 versus 6:5 payouts |
| Roulette | Slower | Wide range of bet types | Choose European over American |
| Dragon Tiger | Very fast | Quick sessions, one decision | Speed makes losses accumulate fast |
| Sic Bo | Moderate | Variety of bet types | House edge varies hugely by bet |
| Game shows | Slower | Entertainment, bonus rounds | Higher edge than table games |
IF A ROUND IS DISRUPTED
The round continues at the studio — the game doesn't pause because one player dropped out. Your bet stands as placed, and the outcome is determined by what happens on the table. When you reconnect, your balance and game history will reflect the result.
Check your transaction history before assuming a bet was lost. If you believe a round settled incorrectly, note the table name, the approximate time and the round ID if shown — live providers keep video records of every round, so a disputed hand can be checked. Contact official support with those details.
RELATED INFORMATION
FAQ
Around 3–5 Mbps sustained for a stable HD stream, less for SD. Consistency matters more than peak speed — a steady 5 Mbps plays better than a connection that spikes to 50 and drops to 1.
Usually not enough sustained bandwidth, or too much latency on a congested Wi-Fi network. Lower the stream quality in the game settings first, then try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data to work out which side the problem is on.
That's latency, not bandwidth. Your data arrives intact but too slowly. Move closer to the router, switch networks, or turn off any VPN — more speed won't fix it.
The round continues at the studio and your bet stands as placed. When you reconnect, your balance and game history will show the result. Check your transaction history before assuming anything went wrong.
Blackjack played with basic strategy generally carries the lowest house edge, followed by baccarat betting Banker. Side bets and game shows carry considerably higher edges. Every game still has an edge in the house's favour.
Often not, or only at around 10%. Pokies usually contribute 100% while live dealer games are frequently excluded entirely, because their house edge is much smaller. Check the bonus terms before playing live tables to clear a requirement.
Yes. Games run as HTML5 in a mobile browser on both iOS and Android, with nothing to install. Live video is demanding though, so close background apps, turn off battery saver, and plug in for longer sessions.
European, every time. It has a single zero where American has two, which roughly halves the house edge. If both are available there's no reason to choose the American version.
Yes. Live games are streamed from a studio with real dealers, real cards and real wheels, and every round is recorded. That's the difference between live tables and the computer-generated table games in the main lobby.
RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING
Fast-paced formats like Dragon Tiger can run a round every few seconds, which means losses accumulate far more quickly than the stake size suggests. Decide your limit before you sit down and treat it as spent the moment you deposit. Never increase stakes to recover a loss. Strictly 18+.
iJoker88 provides deposit limits, session reminders, cool-off periods and self-exclusion — see the responsible gambling tools guide for how to switch them on.
Free, confidential support in Australia: Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858, available 24/7, or at gamblinghelponline.org.au.