News

The Rise and Rise of Live Dealer Gaming

Published

5 years ago

April 14, 2020

Live Dealer games are a relatively youthful part of a relatively youthful industry. However, like iGaming itself, it hasn’t taken long for Live Dealer games to become a huge part of the gambling industry.

While the popularity has been there since the outset, recent technological advancements have given the opportunity for this game type to lift itself to a whole new level.

The History of Live Dealer Games

Since the inception of iGaming, the desire for players was to get that true to life casino experience from the comfort of their own homes.

It was, therefore, far from a surprise that the first Live Dealer games found an instant player base.

Live Blackjack and Live Roulette were the first two to appear, and while the games were limited, with one table, and a set time limit on playing time due to there usually only being one host, players loved them.

As is often the case with online casino games, it didn’t take long for evolution to take place, with the likes of Craps and Poker swiftly being added to the list.

As time went on, further developments took place, with more tables being added, more software developers creating their own Live Dealer offerings, and before long, Live Dealer games were available 24/7.

The Present of Live Dealer Games

In the eyes of many, Live Dealer games have peaked, and while there will undoubtedly be further evolutions, it’s hard to argue with that opinion.

The biggest change that has been made recently is the advancement of Live Dealer games from lifelike echoes of the real life casino experience, to games that use the online format to add extra dimensions to the gameplay.

Live Dealer games these days often offer intricacies and complexities that would not be possible in a brick and mortar casino.

As always, one of the biggest factors in the development of Live Dealer games being so swift, is competition, with several software developers battling it out for supremacy in this lucrative field.

NetEnt

NetEnt have historically been one of the first developers to step into a new section of the industry, but they were a little late to the party with Live Dealer games, launching their suite in late 2013.

Highlights of the NetEnt portfolio of Live Dealer options include multiple language options with dealers from around the world, and unlimited player Blackjack.

While there is less variation than from some other developers, NetEnt’s Live Dealer games often have a higher RTP than competitors.

Ezugi

Ezugi were a late entry too, but their focus on Live Dealer games has ensured a strong reputation has quickly developed.

Ezugi’s collection is headed up by a collection of innovative titles, they are one of very few developers to offer Live Keno, and have their own unique titles such as Wheel of Dice.

Playtech

Like NetEnt, Playtech is a developer that has made its name through other game types, primarily slots, before stepping foot in the Live Dealer world.

The fact that Live Dealers are not the sole, or indeed main focus for Playtech means they stand behind the big guns in this area of iGaming, but there is still a lot on offer here.

Games out of the Playtech studio in Latvia are available all across Europe and include all the classic games, as well as Unlimited Blackjack and a Dual Roulette game which allows for playing at two table at one time.

Evolution Gaming

While there are many pretenders to the throne, there can only be one King of Live Dealer games, and in the eyes of most, the crown rests firmly on the head of Evolution Gaming.

From Dual Play Roulette, which allows an unlimited number of online players to join a roulette game in a brick and mortar casino, to unique, branded titles such as Deal or No Deal Live and Monopoly Live Wheel, to the likes of Lightning Roulette and Lightning Dice, which bring unique gameplay aspects to Evolution’s games, it’s clear to see why this developer holds the top spot.

Evolution Gaming powered live dealer games are available at more than 100 online casinos and they hold a local license in almost all regulated casino markets. This includes the regulated USA states, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland and many more.

The Future of Live Dealer Games

As stated above, many believe Live Dealer games to have peaked, but as the popularity of this form of gambling keeps increasing, and technological advancement allow for further additions and progressions, we can expect more changes to come.

What these changes will be is anyone’s guess, but we can safely assume there will be more unique Live Dealer games, as well as further exciting tweaks on classic titles in the near future.

The Benefit of Live Dealer Games

While there are obvious advantages to Live Dealer games in terms of the excitement offered by the unique game types, there is a larger advantage for many players, and that is peace of mind.

For many players, even knowing a Random Number Generator (RNG) is exactly what it described, there are still concerns about how random these generators actually are.

It should be stated that these RNGs undergo strict scrutiny from regulators to ensure they are random, but to many, nothing ensures security in the random nature of a game like seeing a right in front of you.

This is where the benefit of Live Dealer games comes in, offering the same surety that one would get in a land based casino, but without the need to dress up smart and actually leave one’s house in order to play them.

With this added sense of comfort, the constantly evolving game types, the excellent designs and themes that the games have, and the ability to play them from home, and time of day or night, it is pretty much a guarantee that the popularity of Live Dealer games will not only maintain, but continue to increase over time.

Related Topics:Ezugi History of Live Dealer Games Live Dealer Gaming Live Roulette NetEnt PlayTech

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Awards

Recognising the Powerhouses of Performance: SBC Launches Affiliate Leaders Awards

Published

41 minutes ago

May 14, 2025

George Miller

Recognising the Powerhouses of Performance: SBC Launches Affiliate Leaders Awards

This year’s SBC Summit will see the premiere of the Affiliate Leaders Awards – a bold new addition spotlighting standout contributions in the affiliate marketing industry.

The Affiliate Leaders Awards will take place on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, from 19:00 to 24:00 at the MEO Arena, marking the first time SBC is hosting a standalone ceremony dedicated entirely to celebrating the achievements of affiliates, their operator partners, and the suppliers driving the affiliate ecosystem.

The new ceremony builds on the incredible momentum generated by the Affiliate Leaders Summit, which was first introduced during last year’s SBC Summit and has since been rolled out at SBC Summit Rio and SBC Summit Americas. This event has quickly become a flagship feature within the broader SBC Events portfolio, offering a highly focused environment for affiliates and their partners to connect, learn, and do business.

According to SBC Founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark, the creation of the Affiliate Leaders Awards is a natural next step in SBC’s ongoing efforts to elevate and support the affiliate community within the iGaming and sports betting industries.

“Over the last year, we’ve doubled down on providing dedicated spaces and meaningful content for the affiliate community,” said Sojmark. “We’ve listened closely to what this community needs and the Affiliate Leaders Awards is the next phase – not just recognising their contributions, but celebrating them in the way they deserve.”

The Affiliate Leaders initiative – which includes the summit, community, magazine, news portal, and now the awards – has always been about empowering the affiliate sector and making business easier for its members. Whether it’s curated expo zones for affiliates and their partners, deep-dive content on SEO, AI, and acquisition strategies, or networking formats built for deal-making, SBC continues to create spaces where affiliates thrive.

Historically, affiliate-focused awards were limited to just a handful of categories within the broader SBC Awards. The introduction of a standalone ceremony enables SBC to significantly expand the recognition offered to this important segment of the industry.

This year’s Affiliate Leaders Awards will feature multiple categories, covering three key stakeholder groups:

Affiliates – Featuring categories that showcase the full spectrum of affiliate excellence, from top networks and niche verticals to standout campaigns, content leaders, and rising stars.
Operators – Celebrating operator teams and strategies that actively support, engage, and collaborate with affiliates.
Suppliers – Honouring the platforms, tools, and service providers that drive affiliate performance and innovation.

Award categories include Affiliate Network of the Year, Affiliate Content Manager of the Year, Affiliate Campaign of the Year, Social Media Campaign of the Year, and Affiliate Technology of the Year — all designed to spotlight the creativity, strategy, and innovation fueling affiliate success.

“With the launch of the Affiliate Leaders Awards, SBC adds a new layer of visibility and recognition. We want to highlight the innovation happening across the affiliate world – not just from the biggest names, but from rising stars, emerging content formats, and the tech providers enabling it all,” added Sojmark. “And we want to do that in a setting that brings everyone together – affiliates, operators, and suppliers – in a night of celebration, inspiration, and connection.”

——————————————————

Applications Now Open

Entries for the Affiliate Leaders Awards are now officially open and will be accepted until Friday, 4 July. Entrants are invited to submit their applications via the Affiliate Leaders Awards website, where they can also review the full list of categories and entry criteria.

To attend the Affiliate Leaders Awards, participants must purchase a separate ticket. Attendees can choose between individual tickets or book full tables for their teams. For ticket information, please visit the Affiliate Leaders Awards website or contact [email protected] directly.

The Affiliate Leaders Awards will be followed the next evening by the long-established SBC Awards, now in its 12th year, continuing the tradition of honouring excellence across the entire sports betting and iGaming ecosystem.

Awards

Myleene Klass Takes the Stage as Host of iGB Affiliate Awards 2025

Published

2 hours ago

May 14, 2025

George Miller

Myleene Klass Takes the Stage as Host of iGB Affiliate Awards 2025

Myleene Klass has been confirmed as the host of the 2025 iGB Affiliate Awards, set to be held on 3 July at iGB L!VE in London

Klass is known for being a TV personality and entertainer who originally shot to fame in the Britpop era. She was in the pop band Hear’Say, where they achieved four UK Top 10 singles in their time. She will host the Cool Britannia-themed awards that this year will hand out accolades for 20 categories.

The awards will once again be held at the Troxy, the venue set in London’s East End, which has an 80-year musical heritage and has featured performances by the likes of Liam Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker, Garbage and the Cure. It also served as a movie theatre and training school for the London Opera Centre before being converted to host live events in 2006.

Stephen Carter, head of affiliate content at Clarion Gaming, believes the popularity of the awards continues to grow thanks to its reputation for integrity and transparency.

“Our external industry judges are selected for their expertise on both the igaming affiliate sector and in specialist areas pertaining to individual awards, such as safer gambling,” he said. “They are also required to sign an NDA to keep all submitted information confidential and to declare any potential conflicts of interest. The industry respects the fact that every winning submission has succeeded entirely on its merits.”

Carter also confirmed that judgable submissions are up by more than 4% year-on-year, with the most hotly contested category based on nominations being Best Affiliate Programme. The fastest growing category is Best Affiliate Network, which is up by 79% from 2024’s awards. Best Digital Agency, Affiliate Idol and Best Newcomer, he indicated, are also key growth categories.

“Due to the quality of submissions received from non-affiliate businesses for the Marketing Campaign of the Year category, we have created an additional award to recognise the best campaign by an affiliate programme or network in 2024,” he went on to explain about the new addition.

News

CatAffs brands soar following ZingBrain AI integration

Published

23 hours ago

May 13, 2025

George Miller

CatAffs brands soar following ZingBrain AI integration

Partners programme CatAffs has seen its brands dramatically increase revenue and other KPIs following the successful integration of ZingBrain AI.

ZingBrain AI is the artificial intelligence engine for iGaming, which delivers personalised recommendations to create a fully bespoke experience for users.

Since CatAffs integrated the ZingBrain AI platform it has seen impressive results across the board.

This has included:

A 17 percent increase in GGR per player, significantly increasing revenue
A 16 percent increase in turnover per player, driven by an increase in activity
An 11 percent increase in bets per player, boosting engagement
A 30 percent increase in deposits and sessions, improving retention
A one hour per session increase, meaning players are sticking around for longer

Oleg Smolerov, CPO at ZingBrain AI, said: “We couldn’t be happier to see CatAffs already enjoying improved performance via our platform. This kind of success shows how AI isn’t just a buzzword, but rather something that can significantly improve business performance. We’ll continue to work closely with the CatAffs team to help their brands reach even greater heights.”

Oleksii, Head of Technical Product at CatAffs, added: “ZingBrain AI has very quickly become a key part of our growth strategy here at CatAffs, and the improvements in player engagement and revenue have already gone well beyond our expectations. But what we appreciate most is just how willing the ZingBrain AI team has been to adapt and innovate based on our needs. This is just the start of a great partnership.”

ZingBrain AI is redefining personalisation for iGaming operators, giving users the personal experience they’ve become used to when using YouTube, Spotify or Netflix. The insights are drawn from more than 15 billion transactions and 3.5 million users.

To find out more, please visit: https://www.zingbrain.ai/.