The Operation of a Live Casino Studio
Live dealer casinos are an integral offering on any serious online casino. Modern live casino games, like LuckyStreak's, give players an authentic casino experience delivered through a high definition video stream, with highly trained Game Presenters, and slick mobile-first user interfaces.
But what does it take to deliver this at the highest standard, 24/ 7, every day of the year?
In this edition, we invite you to take a peak inside a successful live casino studio operation.
30-Second Summary
First - Live Casino: A Brief History
The first live casinos date back to the late 1990s. However, due to limits of technology, they didn't make a meaningful impact.
Wider availability of broadband internet in the late 2000s changed that, supporting higher resolution video streaming, a game-changer for the sector.
As technology improved, so did live casino games, and new providers emerged. The global reach of mobile internet boosted growth, and new formats emerged in the 2020s, along with greenscreen and AI.
It is the fastest growing iGaming sector, and forecast to remain so for the rest of the decade, accounting for one thyroid of all online casino GGR.
What is the Make-Up of a Live Casino Operation
LuckyStreak has produced a streamed exceptional live casino games to the world since it was founded by CEO Ady Totah and CTO Erez Cywier a decade ago.
And this is not an insignificant undertaking, requiring the contribution and close collaboration of many skills, roles and teams.
LuckyStreak’s studio HQ in Riga, Latvia is packed with people and technology to bring the very best live dealer games to millions of players across the world.
Let's meet some of these critical people, the #HumansOfLuckyStreak!
Studio Team
Games Presenters
Games Presenters (GPs) are at the human face of our live casino operation. They expertly deal the games whilst creating an engaging and interactive player experience. Their skill is central to player accuracy, quality and enjoyment, and they bring the authenticity that makes live games so popular.
At LuckyStreak our Live Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette tables run 24/7, 365 days a year. This requires a large and well organised staff of trained GPs, refreshed and ready to deliver the very best live casino games.
In LuckyStreak's cool games UI, you can chat to our GPs, and even tip them for a great game!
Shufflers
It may appear a minor detail, bit it is not. An always-on casino operation requires a big supply of ready-shuffled playing cards. And they don’t shuffle themselves!
And because we have 8 decks of cards in each Blackjack and Baccarat shoe, the task multiplies.
All our cards are hand-shuffled by trained shufflers, to keep our games running uninterrupted and to the highest standards. We have teams of shufflers working 24/7 alongside our GPs.
Pitbosses
The Pitbosses are responsible for ensuring that the games run to a high standard of accuracy and quality.?
They monitor every single hand and spin using sophisticated video and tracking technology. They act quickly to correct in-game issues, and ensure an outcome that is accurate for all players. They additionally monitor player behaviour and patterns.
Integrity is critical for both players and casino operators, and Pitbosses play a vital role in safeguarding this.
Trainers
Well trained GPs and shufflers are a critical requirement for world-class live casino games.
And well-trained GPs require the best possible training, delivered by a highly skilled, knowledgeable, experienced and... patient training team. Every single one graduates from our Training Academy before being allowed to lead a live casino game.
Covering knowledge of the rules, mechanical skills, consistency, and how to properly interact and entertain players.
And it’s never done; all colleagues are required to return to the academy at least once a year in order to refresh their training.
Team Managers
It’s a pretty intense environment. World class casino games come with a pressure to deliver, and that is why we recruit and promote people who thrive on this.
That said, we are all human, and our Team Managers play a crucial role in providing support, guidance and an ear to our GPs.?
In fact most of our Team Managers were once GPs, so they bring an unmatched understanding of the requirements of the role that their teams now benefit from.
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Technical Team
Another critical element of LuckyStreak’s successful operation is Technology and Gaming Equipment.?Our team of technical magicians carries the weight of our enormous output and high standards.?
From our studio set-up, ensuring our games tables, setting and audio-visuals are in perfect condition at all times.
To maintaining our video and streaming technology that captures every single hand and spin in flawless high definition.
And developing and launching new technology like our greenscreen capabilities. No pressure then Nadav Talmor (Technical Director)!
Maybe you don't realise they are there, because everything runs smoothly. But they are, and we do, and they're critical to the business.
Office Team
Head of Studio
Kaspars Berzins heads up our gaming operation at our studio HQ in Riga, and is responsible for the smooth running and output of the end product: our live casino games.
His responsibility encompasses every aspect of the studio operation, from people management and the performance of our teams, consistently achieving our high standards of game execution and integrity, meeting all necessary licensing regulations, maintaining a productive and efficient premises and work environment for today and tomorrow.
He drives the culture from the top, one that is performance driven, inclusive and supportive, and is the foundation of our people-led success.
Shift Administrator
Such a complex human operation as a 24/7 live casino studio needs organisation. Tables need GPs round the clock, and this task has to take into account working hours, breaks, holidays and unexpected events.
Our Shift Administrator is responsible for making this run like clockwork, thanks to her skill, relationship with our people, and sophisticated scheduling software, it does.
HR
We talk a lot about the #HumansOfLuckyStreak. People are core to our proposition, more than most.
And so two things are critical to our success: recruiting well, and building a happy culture with support and opportunity for all.
Selecting future shooting stars is a big responsibility.
And building high performing teams, providing the support to learn and achieve ambitions, and making sure that we have a happy group of Luckies working in a nice environment is crucial to our high-performance culture.
Account Management
Our commercial partnerships are the lifeblood of our business. When we have the product right, service is key to building a successful business.
Led by Virginia Russu, our dynamic Account Management team are our link to our partners, customers and games providers out there in iGaming land.
From building strong relationships, handling questions and requirements, and offering support and guidance, and with a 6th-sense to anticipate needs even before they arise, they ensure each one feels valued and empowered to succeed.
They are the trusted partners of our customers, helping navigate the fast-paced world of iGaming with confidence, knowledge, and care.
Commercial and Marketing
Our Commercial and Marketing functions headed up by Mark O'Donnell and Rory Kimber work particularly closely together to identify and build new partnerships to continue our growth.
Marketing is responsible for growing the awareness of our brand and proposition among our target audience. And to generate enquiries from potential customers (leads) through advertising, PR, exhibitions and “organic” channels like search and social media.
The Commercial arm creates business relationships that generate value, through the conversion of leads,? seeking out new partners, and working closely with the Account Management team to assess value-adding opportunities.
Finance
Our business would not be able to succeed without the careful management of our finances: cost management, an understanding of the value of investment, managing cashflows, oversight of our profit and loss, and managing our accounts audit process.?
Our Finance team is across every single financial aspect of our operation, ensuring that we have the financial stability and capability to succeed.
Bringing This Altogether
LuckyStreak relies on multiple and varied teams and roles to bring our live gaming experiences to our casino customers and their players. These teams of skilled individuals collaborate to achieve high standards in their contributions and to ensure that we consistently deliver a world class product.
We are equally proud of our products and #HumansOfLuckyStreak, the two an inextricably linked in pursuit of world class customer experiences.
“Visit” our studio for yourself in this short company video ??.
For more information on how LuckyStreak's world class live casino games can boost your casino offering, please contact us:
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