Live Dealer Online Casinos USA

Live dealer games first appeared at legal U.S. online casino sites in 2016, when Golden Nugget Casino in New Jersey took a chance on the format.

The games quickly surged in popularity, resulting in several other NJ online casinos lining up to lease live dealer studio space. Today, players can find live dealer games at more than two dozen online casinos across multiple jurisdictions.

In addition, live dealer casino sites offer full support for desktop and mobile devices.

Live dealer casino apps combine the thrill and social aspects of playing in a physical casino with the convenience of gambling online. Nearly all the most popular casino table games are now available in live dealer form, including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, Three Card Poker, and more.

Read on to learn which online casinos offer the best live dealer games, where they’re available, and helpful tips for getting started.

Live Dealer Casino Sites

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Which States Offer Legal Live Dealer Games?

Unfortunately, online casino expansion in the U.S. has not moved at the same blistering pace as sports betting. Since 2013, only a handful of states have legalized online gambling. Today, live dealer online casinos are available in six states.

Players can read more about live dealer casino games and find recommendations in each state below:

• Connecticut Online Casinos
• Michigan Online Casinos
• New Jersey Online Casinos
• Pennsylvania Online Casinos
• Rhode Island Online Casinos
• West Virginia Online Casinos

New Jersey supports a more evolved live dealer product than any other state, with a wider selection of gaming options and greater exclusivity. However, Pennsylvania and Michigan are rapidly catching up.

Delaware is odd state out, where online gambling is legal but live dealer games are not yet available.

Top Live Dealer Casinos In The USA

The best live dealer casinos support an eclectic mix of table games, wide betting spreads, tie-in promotions, and excellent software. Simply offering live dealer games is no longer enough to stand above the competition because the format is no longer niche in the United States.

BettingUSA has tested dozens of live dealer gambling sites and compiled an exclusive list of the very best.

BetMGM Live Dealer Casino

BetMGM Live Dealer Casino scores points for the diversity of its offerings. In the New Jersey market, games are supplied by two software providers, Ezugi and Evolution, resulting in dozens of available tables at peak hours.

BetMGM Michigan and Pennsylvania live dealer casino games are still exclusively Evolution products but still offer a fairly comprehensive selection of games and stakes.

In addition to standard games like Live Blackjack and Live Roulette, BetMGM Casino offers niche products like Infinite Blackjack, Dream Catcher, and Lightning Roulette.

All Live Dealer wagers at BetMGM Casino earn valuable BetMGM Rewards Points, which players can exchange for bonuses or MGM Rewards Points. Players also earn Tier Credits applied to their MGM Rewards statuses.

The lack of branded tables and occasionally laggy software prevent the BetMGM live dealer casino product from usurping DraftKings.

Caesars Palace Live Dealer Online Casino

With up to 10 Live Blackjack tables, four Live Roulette variants, and various other games, the newly reimagined Caesars Palace Live Dealer Casino is making a run at the top spot.

The Caesars Palace online casino live dealer software is fast and smooth, with hardly any lag and clear resolution.

Caesars Palace Online Casino has quickly expanded its product, complementing an already strong online sportsbook. Evolution powers Caesars Palace Online live dealer games and are available for iOS, Android, or desktop in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

FanDuel Live Dealer Casino

FanDuel Live Dealer Casino games are powered by Ezugi in New Jersey and Evolution in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

The FanDuel live dealer casino app has improved significantly over the past year, but it still trails the industry leaders in game variety. That said, FanDuel Casino has some highlights worth noting:

• Minimum wagers start as low as $0.20 per hand
• Maximum wagers top out at $15,000 per hand
• Most games are open around-the-clock

FanDuel’s live dealer lineup varies slightly from state to state, but mainstays include live dealer Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Craps, and Football Studio.

In February 2022, FanDuel Casino expanded its relationship with Evolution to include branded live casino experiences in all states where it offers online gambling. Since then, FanDuel Casino has launched exclusive live dealer casino tables reserved only for FanDuel customers.

DraftKings Live Dealer Casino

DraftKings Live Dealer Casino offers the most comprehensive platform of any provider. For starters, DraftKings Casino spreads multiple Live Blackjack tables across a variety of stakes and is one of the only operators to feature exclusive single-player high-limit tables.

Minimum stakes for Lightning Roulette, Speed Baccarat, Casino Hold’em, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Three Card Poker start at just $1 or less. Games that run on auto-pilot, like Auto Roulette, offer minimum wagers starting at $0.10 denominations.

DraftKings Casino reached an agreement with tech supplier Evolution to open its own branded section in Evolution’s NJ studio. It gives DraftKings live dealer casino games a more personal feel and enables the site to offer more tables.

Evolution’s software runs incredibly smoothly on mobile apps and desktops.

Finally, DraftKings hosts a variety of leaderboard and other promos where live dealer players can earn generous rewards. DraftKings Dynasty VIPs also receive exclusive, customized live dealer casino promotions.

Golden Nugget Live Dealer Casino

Golden Nugget Casino is responsible for introducing live dealer casino games to the legal U.S. online gambling market in 2016. Since being acquired by DraftKings, the Golden Nugget live dealer casino has steadily expanded its lineup and remains competitive with the industry’s biggest online gambling brands.

Ezugi powers Golden Nugget live dealer casino games in New Jersey, while Evolution powers them in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Golden Nugget’s live dealer tables are open most hours of the day, and its other games, which include Live Roulette and Live Baccarat, are open 24/7.

Golden Nugget online casino also has a unique table, where NJ players can bet on Roulette games streamed live from its Atlantic City casino property.

Other Golden Nugget live dealer casino games include multiple Blackjack variations, Dream Catcher, Crazy Coin Flip, Crazy Time, Three Card Poker, Craps, Lightning Dice, Casino Hold’em, and Sic Bo.

More Legal Live Dealer Casinos

Supporting the Live Dealer format no longer differentiates a U.S. online casino from the pack, as nearly all iGaming sites support it in some capacity.

Here’s a glance at other legal live dealer casino sites:

• Bet365 Casino
• BetRivers Casino
• Borgata Online Casino
• Party Casino
• Resorts Casino
• StarDust Casino
• Hard Rock Casino
• BetParx Casino
• PokerStars Casino
• Hollywood Casino

Live Dealer Studios And Technology Companies

At present, Evolution holds a near-monopoly in the United States, but it wasn’t always that way.

Competitor Ezugi was first to market, launching on Golden Nugget in 2016 and quickly expanding its footprint. The first live dealer casino studio in the USA was constructed at Golden Nugget Casino, and other online casino operators leased space from the property.

Live dealer games are unique in that multiple online casino sites can share the same tables.

Evolution entered the New Jersey online casino market in August 2018, setting up its first studio at Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City and quickly becoming the market’s dominant force.

Just a few months later, in November 2018, Evolution acquired Ezugi in an all-cash deal.

For the next several years, Evolution/Ezugi was the leading live dealer studio in the U.S. market, initially offering Live Blackjack, Live Roulette, and Live Baccarat.

In 2020, Evolution expanded its Hard Rock Casino live dealer studio to include more than 20 new tables. This allowed the studio to offer more Live Blackjack tables as well as other game variants like the Dream Catcher money wheel.

In October 2020, Evolution opened a live dealer studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was followed by the launch of its Michigan live dealer casino studio in July 2021.

Evolution finally lost its monopoly in January 2022, when esteemed tech provider Playtech entered the live dealer casino market. Playtech provides live dealer games for Bet365 in New Jersey and Play Gun Lake in Michigan.

In addition, Evolution constructed a live dealer studio in Connecticut and launched exclusive branded tables for FanDuel Casino.

Evolution may soon gain another competitor, as Scientific Games recently acquired Authentic Gaming to enter the U.S. live dealer market.

How Do Live Dealer Games Work?

Live dealer games are a blend of brick & mortar and digital table games. The games are broadcast in real-time from a dedicated live dealer studio or, in some instances, streamed from live casino floors.

In addition, live dealer casino games feature human dealers and determine game outcomes with real playing devices like physical cards and roulette wheels, just like players see at land-based casinos.

This stands in contrast to fully digital online casino games, which rely on random number generators to ensure fairness.

The main difference between live dealer and retail casino games is that players bet with virtual chips and place wagers online from any device.

Gaming software reflects game outcomes in real-time and handles all payouts automatically. By taking human calculations out of the equation, live dealer online casino sites effectively eliminate errors such as incorrect payouts.

Live dealer casino players can also chat via text with other players and even dealers, who are usually happy to respond by talking into the camera.

This creates a social environment designed to mimic a real playing experience. However, live casino players have additional capabilities unavailable to retail casino goers, including detailed hand histories, instant access to game rules (including every game’s return-to-player), and customizable viewing options.

How To Play Live Dealer Games

Unlike most online gambling formats, live dealer casino games do not offer a demo mode, and gamblers can only play them for real money. As a result, it is crucial for players to understand the basics before jumping in.

Here are the basic steps to playing live casino games online for real money:

1. Sign up and log in to any of the legal live dealer online casinos recommended on this page.
2. Deposit funds via the cashier if necessary, using one of the numerous banking options available. New players are advised to take advantage of casino welcome bonuses if offered.
3. Navigate to the Live Dealer Lobby, or click directly on a game within the Live Dealer submenu.
4. The Live Dealer lobby is a great starting point for new players. From there, they can filter games by type, view the minimum and maximum stakes for each table, and see how many players are occupying seats.
5. Click on a game to begin streaming. Gambling sites permit bettors to observe games for as long as they desire – there is no obligation to play.
6. Before sitting, review the game rules, settings, views, and sound/video quality options.
7. When comfortable, select a seat at the table, or if playing Roulette or Dream Catcher, select a betting option.
8. Place your bet. Players have a limited amount of time to place wagers (usually 20 seconds or less). If the times runs out, they’ll simply sit out that round.
9. Play the hand out as you would at a retail casino, except instead of using hand and chip motions, you’ll use the digitally-displayed playing options.
10. Let the game play out and hope for a favorable outcome.

Are Live Dealer Games A Good Choice?

Live dealer games are an attractive option for table game players who enjoy bustling casino floor environments but can’t be hassled with traveling to the nearest retail casino.

They may also appeal to players who are either new to online gambling or who may still be skeptical of fully digital games. Regulators thoroughly vet games on all legal and licensed U.S. online casinos for fairness, but not all players know this, and those who have been cheated in the past by illegal offshore sites have especially good reason to be wary.

Playing live dealer games, where every action occurs in plain sight, may help restore the confidence of jaded online gamblers.

Another advantage of playing at online casinos with live dealer games is that players don’t need to memorize perfect strategy to play a perfect game. Simply pull up a strategy chart before sitting down and reference it for the correct plays.

There’s no rule about having training aids open at the table like there is at retail casinos.

However, live dealer casinos are not without their flaws. For one, the pace of play on regular Live Blackjack tables can sometimes be tediously slow. Players who prefer to play round after round at blistering speeds will prefer regular online blackjack.

Live dealer stakes also tend to run higher than regular online casino games, especially for Blackjack. It’s not uncommon for the table minimums to jump to $30 – $50 during peak hours. That’s even higher than what most retail casinos post.

However, players can typically play non-blackjack games at much lower stakes.

Most importantly, the house rules on live dealer games aren’t the most favorable. Bettors can almost always be able to find equivalent online casino games with higher return-to-player metrics.

Live Dealer Casino Game Selection

Just a few years ago, U.S. gamblers had very few live dealer casinos to choose from. Today, most online casino sites spread a wealth of tried-and-true live dealer table games, niche variants, and games with side bet options.

Here’s a breakdown of what games and variations players can expect to find at live online casinos:

Live Dealer Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular games on casino floors, and the same holds true at live casino sites. Most online casino apps spread at least half-a-dozen regular tables to handle expected traffic volumes, and often more.

The rule set for a typical live dealer blackjack game is as follows:

• Cards are dealt from an 8-deck shoe, with 50% deck penetration*
• The dealer stands on hard 17 and hits on soft 17
• Players can double down on any two cards, and double after splits
• Split up to two hands
• Insurance offers when the dealer shows an Ace
• Dealer peeks for Blackjack on any Ten through Ace
• Blackjack pays 3:2

*The reason the shoe ends after only 50% of the cards is dealt is to discourage card counting.

On the spectrum of Blackjack rulesets, Live Blackjack falls somewhere in the middle. The games are certainly better than Las Vegas Strip games but lag behind the very best games found at retail casinos elsewhere. Return-to-player hovers around 99.3%, which makes it a decent option for clearing casino deposit bonuses with low-to-medium table game requirements.

Due to the limited number of seats available, Live Dealer Blackjack games have gotten pricey. Table minimums during active hours start in the $25 range.

The demand for Live Onlline Blackjack has grown so great that studios have had to get creative. Most live dealer casinos now offer Unlimited or Infinite Blackjack.

For those variations, all customers play the same hand.

The other major difference is that the minimum stakes are much lower compared to Live Blackjack, starting at just $1. Otherwise, Infinite Blackjack plays exactly the same, albeit with a few more side bets.

There’s also the Bet Behind feature, which allows observers to bet on other players’ hands. If the main player wins the hand, so does the Bet Behind player.

The main drawback is that the Bet Behind player is at the mercy of the seated player’s decisions, at least to a degree. Bet Behind players have the option to not double their wager when the main player doubles down or splits. However, if the main player decides to hit 16 against a 6, then the Bet Behind player is forced to make the same poor play.

Bet Behind players are advised to observe a few rounds before selecting a player who appears to play a sound strategy.

Live Blackjack casino games are loaded with side bets, including:

• 21+3: Pays out if the combination of the player and dealer upcard makes a three card flush or better.
• Any Pair: Pays when players pair their two initial card. The payout is enhanced is the pair is suited.
• Hot 3: This side bet pays out when the combination of the player’s first two cards and the dealer’s upcard equals 19 or better.
• Bust-O-Rama: Wager on how many cards it’ll take the dealer to bust.

Side bets should be made sparingly, if at all. The house edges on these wagers run much higher than the main game, from 94.18% for Bust-O-Rama up to 96.30% for 21+3. Truthfully, that’s not bad as far as side bets go, but there are better wagers to be made.

Live Dealer Roulette

Live Roulette plays strikingly similar to casino floor Roulette, with a few exceptions:

• Players place all bets digitally, so they don’t have to worry about jumping over one another trying to get a wager down.
• The online format allows for many more roulette variations than would be possible to pull off at brick & mortar casinos.
• The minimum stakes are much lower. Table mins start as low as $0.10, whereas retail casinos often require $5 – $15 minimum bets, depending on foot traffic.

Unfortunately, live dealer casinos only spread American Roulette (double zero) games.

The house edge on this variation is a healthy 5.26%. That wouldn’t be so bad if online casinos also offerd European, French, or Single-Zero Roulette, which has a house edge of just 2.7%.

Live Dealer Online Roulette variations include:

• Auto Roulette: Similar to regular Live Roulette, except an automatic wheel determines game outcomes without a human dealer
• Lightning Roulette: Plays out like American Roulette, except each spin selects up to five numbers that offer increased payouts, ranging from 50x to 500x. To offset this advantage, non-lightning numbers only pay 30x instead of the usual 36x. The result is that the house edge is increased slightly, to 5.87%.
• Lightning Auto Roulette: Same as Lightning Roulette, except without a real dealer running the show. This results in more wheel spins per hour.

Skilled gamblers should generally steer clear of American Roulette. Even inexperienced gamblers are better off playing single-zero roulette games.

However, those looking for a relaxed, social experience can consider a few rounds of Live Dealer Roulette online.

Live Dealer Baccarat

From the dealer’s perspective, Live Baccarat has a complicated ruleset. For players, it’s as simple as betting on the Player or Banker (or Tie) and hoping their bet wins.

Like Live Blackjack games, the outcome of Live Dealer Baccarat bets are determined on a real casino table, using physical cards dealt by a real person.

If the Banker ends with a total closer to 9 than the Player, the Banker wins, and vice versa. Only the final digit is counted toward the total, so a total of 14 counts as a 4.

If both the Player and Banker end with the same total, all Player and Banker bets push, and the tie wins. The Banker bet has a slight advantage over the Player, which is why winning Banker bets are subject to a 5% commission.

Naturals in Baccarat occur when either the Player’s or Banker’s first two cards total 8 or 9. These pay out immediately, without any other cards being drawn. The exceptions are if both the Player and Banker hit Naturals. In that care, either the Tie or the side with the higher Natural wins.

Live Dealer Baccarat is the single best game offered to unskilled gamblers.

The house edge on Banker bets is just 1.06%, and it’s only slightly higher on Player wagers.

Baccarat live dealer tables spread a wealth of side bets, including:

• Player/Banker Pair: These pay out if the Player’s or Banker’s first two cards are a pair.
• Perfect Pair: Pays if two perfectly matched cards (suit and value) are dealt to the Player or Banker. If both Player and Banker are dealt Perfect Pairs, the payout is 200:1.
• Either Pair: Pays if either the Player or Banker starts with a pair
• Player/Banker Bonus: Also known as the Dragon Bonus, this side bet pays when either the Player or the Banker (depending on the bet) hits a Natural or wins by four or more points.

Live Dealer Online Baccarat side bets, along with the Tie bet, are generally horrible wagers.

The sole exception is the Player Bonus, which has a decent return of 97.35%. Every other side bet offers a return between 86.3% – 91.9%. At those RTPs, players are better off playing online slots.

Other Live Dealer Casino Games

Live dealer casinos are supporting more and more carnival games. These games generally require little-to-moderate skill, feature multiple side bets, and have somewhat lower returns than more traditional games like Blackjack and Baccarat. Their appeal lies in their entertainment value and their maximum payouts, which can be quite substantial.

• Live Dealer Three Card Poker: Players place an Ante bet and receive three cards. They can either choose to fold or bet 1x their Ante to Play their hand. The player wins if their hand is better than the dealer’s. However, the Ante bet only pays if the dealer qualifies with Queen high or better. Live dealer three-card poker side bets include Pair Plus and 6-Card Bonus. The RTP on Three Card Poker is 96.63%.
• Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em: Ultimate Texas Hold’em resembles poker, except instead of engaging in a skillful battle against other participants, the player’s objective in Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em is to make a better five-card hold’em hand than the dealer. Bettors can wager 3x – 4x their Ante before the deal, 2x after the flop, and either bet 1x or fold after all five cards are dealt. For a carnival game, the RTP is solid: 97.82%.
• Live Dealer Casino Hold’em: Similar to Ultimate Texas Hold’em, except players only have the option to wager 2x their Ante after the first three cards are dealt. There’s also a Live Dealer Casino Hold’em bonus bet that pays out if a player’s two cards plus the first three community cards make a pair of Aces or better. The return-to-player is a healthy 97.84%. The bonus wager returns less than 94% but pays up to 100:1.
• Live Dealer Dream Catcher: Anyone who has visited retail casinos has probably noticed the gigantic wheel usually located smack dab in the middle of the casino floor. Live Dealer Dream Catcher is the online equivalent. Players bet on a number, and if it hits, they win a multiplier of their chosen number. Multipliers run from 1x to 40x, and higher multipliers occupy fewer slots on the wheel. The RTP of Dream Catcher is significantly higher than that of Big Wheel, but it still isn’t a great game. Dream Catcher returns anywhere from 90.57% – 96.58%, depending on the wager.
• Live Dealer Craps: Live dealer online craps is a relatively recent addition to the online gambling landscape, likely due to the difficulty in finding a way to give players an opportunity to “throw” the dice remotely. However, Evolution Gaming debuted live dealer online craps at many licensed USA casino sites in 2023, featuring a mechanical arm that throws real dice on behalf of the players.

Live Dealer Casino FAQ