How live dealer casino games work: studio, cameras and results
A live dealer game streams a real table and dealer from a studio. The cards, wheel or dice give the result, and cameras and software capture it. A separate system takes bets and pays out. The pay table still sets the house edge, so the video changes how results are produced, not the cost.
What a live dealer game is
A live dealer game is a casino table game, such as roulette, blackjack or baccarat, run by a human dealer at a physical table and shown to players by video. The player sits at a phone or computer and places bets with on-screen buttons.
Two systems run side by side. One is the studio, with the table, the dealer and the cameras. The other is the betting platform, which holds the account, takes the stake, records the bet and pays any win. The player sees the two joined in one screen.
The result comes from the physical game, which is the main difference from a software game driven by a random number generator. The pay table is the same kind of document in both, so the maths of the edge is unchanged.
The chain from table to screen
This guide describes the general mechanism only. Studio equipment differs between providers, and this page does not make claims about any one provider's hardware or settings.
| Stage | What happens | Why it matters to the player |
|---|---|---|
| Table and equipment | The dealer deals cards, spins a wheel or rolls dice at a physical table | The result is a physical event, not a calculation |
| Capture | Cameras film the table, and software reads the result from the equipment or the image | The platform needs a machine-readable result to settle bets |
| Streaming | Video is compressed and sent to many players at once | You see the round a short moment after it happened |
| Betting window | The platform accepts bets for a set time, then closes the round | Bets placed after the window closes are not part of the round |
| Settlement | Software compares the recorded result with each bet and updates balances | Payouts follow the displayed pay table, not the dealer's words |
| Record | The round, bets and result are logged | A disputed round can be reviewed against the log |
Each stage is a place where a fault could occur, which is why operators add checks and why regulators ask for audits. Software settlement also means that the dealer does not decide who is paid.
How the result is captured
For a settled bet, the platform must know the result exactly. Some systems read the cards or the wheel with sensors or image recognition, and others have the dealer confirm a result in a control system. Either way the aim is the same: a result that matches what happened on the table.
When the camera view and the recorded result disagree, the round is usually handled by a supervisor under the game's published procedure. Rules for such cases are part of the game rules, and regulation 45(1) requires the rules to be displayed before a player places a wager.
Why the video does not change the edge
The house edge is the gap between the true odds and the payout. A single-zero roulette wheel has 37 pockets and a straight-up bet pays 35 to 1, so the edge is 1/37, about 2.70%, as shown in the guide to the roulette house edge.
expected loss = total staked × house edge
A player places 30 bets of KES 100 on a single-zero live roulette table. Total staked is KES 3,000. The expected loss is 3,000 ÷ 37, about KES 81.
Some real results will be far from that figure, in either direction. The expected loss describes the average over very many rounds, not what happens in one evening. Hearing a dealer's friendly voice or watching a real wheel does not move the average.
Live tables compared with software tables
| Feature | Live dealer table | Software table |
|---|---|---|
| Source of result | Physical cards, wheel or dice | Random number generator |
| Pace of rounds | Set by the dealer and the betting window | Set by the software, often faster |
| Edge | Set by the pay table | Set by the pay table |
| What is certified | Rules, platform and equipment as the regulator requires | Random number generator, rules and platform |
| Main player risk | Long sessions and repeat bets | Very quick repeat bets |
Blackjack shows the one difference decisions make. A live blackjack player's choices can lower the edge, which the guide to the blackjack house edge explains, but the edge never reaches zero in the standard game.
What Kenyan regulations say
The Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026 apply to online play with necessary changes. Regulation 20(1) says live table games and slot machines in a licensed casino must be authorized by the Authority, regulation 20(2) requires a licensee to display clearly the rules of games, odds, house edge and average return to the player, and regulation 20(3) extends the regulation to online gambling activities.
Regulation 45(2) requires the random number generator used for all games of chance to be certified by the Authority or its approved agent, and regulation 45(3) requires game rules to be evaluated or certified annually. The theoretical return to player for each game is to be publicly disclosed. See the guide to how RNG testing works in Kenya for the detail.
Regulation 50 requires online platforms to be secure from cyber-attacks, hacking, bots or automated bulk entries that could distort results, with regular independent electronic security audits. The Licensing Regulations application form uses "live dealer" as an example of a platform function that an applicant describes, but the regulations read for this guide set no separate studio technical standard for live games. Regulation 19 requires closed circuit television cameras in areas where gaming takes place, subject to privacy and data protection law.
Limits that matter more at a live table
A live table keeps a player in a social setting with chat, a dealer and a constant sense of the next round. That can make a session run longer than planned. Fixed limits set outside the game are the main protection, because they do not depend on how the evening feels.
Regulation 87 requires licensees to provide these tools. The list is in the table.
| Tool required by regulation 87 | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Deposit limits (daily, weekly, monthly) | How much can enter the account |
| Loss, session and expenditure limits | How much can be lost or spent, and for how long |
| Reality checks | Pop-up notifications showing the duration of play |
| Self-exclusion (at least twenty-four hours) | A break from play, linked to the national self-exclusion register |
| Player savings tool | A way to set money aside |
Streaks and "hot" tables do not change the odds, as the guide to the gambler's fallacy and session limits explains. For the general link between pay table, return and cost, see how RTP and house edge work.
Help is available from the Gambling Regulatory Authority toll-free line, 0800-723-770, and the self-exclusion process is described on the responsible gambling page of this site.
Questions and answers
Is a live dealer game fairer than a software game?
Not in terms of cost. The house edge comes from the pay table, so a roulette wheel with one zero has an edge of 1/37 whether the ball is real or generated by software. What differs is the source of the result: physical equipment in a live game, a random number generator in a software game.
Can the dealer see my bets or change the result?
In a well run game the dealer handles equipment and does not set the outcome. Bets are taken and settled by the platform software. A player who suspects a result was wrong should keep the round number and time and raise it with the operator's customer care.
Does the random number generator rule apply to live games?
Regulation 45(2) requires the random number generator used for all games of chance to be certified. A live game takes its result from physical equipment, so that rule speaks to generators. The same regulation still requires rules to be displayed before any wager and the theoretical return to player to be disclosed.
Are live dealer games faster or slower than other casino games?
Each round is paced by the dealer and the betting window, so a live round is usually slower than a software round. Cost still depends on the total staked, so a slower game spends the same share of every shilling staked, only over a longer time.
What limits can a player set on live games?
Regulation 87 requires licensees to provide deposit limits (daily, weekly and monthly), loss, session and expenditure limits, reality checks, self-exclusion for at least twenty-four hours and a player savings tool. Setting them before sitting down matters most, because live rounds invite quick repeat bets.