SCCG LIVE MEETINGS IN OKLAHOMA
Stephen Crystal will be conducting meetings with clients and partners throughout the State of Oklahoma during the week of February 1, 2021.
If you would like to reach out to Stephen regarding a meeting during this period, please contact him directly at stephen.crystal@sccgmanagement.com or by cell or WhatsApp at (702) 427-9354.
THE RISE OF LIVE CASINO
It’s important to understand that ten years ago, Live Dealer wasn’t even a relevant category in iGaming. Yet, at the end of 2020, the largest provider of Live Dealer solutions absorbed NetEnt, Europe’s largest online real money slot solutions provider, in a transaction worth over two billion USD.
This is not an anomaly. Live dealer content in both iGaming and brick and mortar casinos is a growing consumer engagement segment, and there’s no sign of that trendline changing anytime soon.
Customers love engaging with a live dealer. Anecdotally, it feels more authentic to guests and especially relevant for iGaming operations. Patrons trust live dealer games more than purely digital UI based casino games.
What is Live Dealer?
Live Dealer is when a player plays traditional casino games like blackjack, baccarat, and roulette, in real-time with a real but remote, human dealer. It’s a fantastic business, but it requires unique competencies that traditional casino gaming technology companies lack — and is why virtually all live dealer content comes from two companies: Evolution and Playtech.
Recapping the Trend
Fifteen years ago, Live Dealer didn’t exist at all. Today, Live Dealer has stolen the top spot away from the long-reigning leader, digital slots, in some of the largest online casinos. This trend will continue.
Digital slot content has become commoditized as the variety of content and providers’ numbers have expanded to meet demand. This commoditization has given operators all the leverage when negotiating pricing and relationships. Production and operation of Live Dealer solutions remain a challenge for suppliers due to the high operational and technical expertise barrier, which has not been easy to breach.
Even NetEnt tried, before its acquisition by Evolution Gaming Group. NetEnt Live Casino was their attempt to grow into the Live Dealer market, but like many other iGaming content providers, it failed to make it into the mainstream.
On December 2, 2020, EGR Global reported that NetEnt Live was shut down and its Malta-based studio closed, saving the newly combined Evolution over USD 36M in operating expenses.
While Live Dealer content remains very new to the United States, SCCG Management Founder, Stephen A. Crystal announced that in an expansion of its Partnership with Golden Race, his company would focus on bringing Live Dealer content to the commercial and tribal casino and iGaming operators through Hollywood TV.
Said Crystal, “Hollywood TV has a worldwide network of live dealer studios and offers a fully compliant suite of live games to deliver to players, everywhere, anytime. To round out the rest of the traditional iGaming experience, we are also promoting Spinmatic Entertainment and their massive library of digital gaming content.”
The Hollywood TV website, indicates that its current slate of live games includes: Super 5, Keno Classic, Keno Deluxe, Super 7, 1 Bet, 5 Bet, 7 Bet, Lucky 6, Mega 6, Mega 7, Wheel Bet, Spin 2 Wheels, Poker Bet, War of Elements, Joker Bet, Premium European Roulette, and Backgammon.
If you’re interested in learning how Live Dealer and Digital Gaming products can help your operations, please reach out to Stephen Crystal directly at stephen.crystal@sccgmanagement.com.
