10 Best Online Live Casinos In The UK - Play Live Dealer Games

Last Updated: 10/10/2024

Play casino games live from the comfort of your own home with our best live casinos in the UK. Find the best bonuses to use, learn how live casinos work, and compare against land-based and online casinos right here.

What is a Live Casino?

A live casino simply refers to any online casino that features live dealer casino games, such as live blackjack, roulette, poker, baccarat, game shows, and more. These games are streamed in real-time from studios around the world and feature a live croupier.

Live casino sites are as close as you can get to the real casino experience without leaving your home. Alongside offering real-time versions of your favourite table games, live dealer casino games have wide bet limits, multiple game variants, and the option to chat to dealers and other players at your table.

How Does a Live Casino Work?

Live casinos work much in the same way as regular online casinos, only with a few notable exceptions. Check out the key differences below.

Human Dealer

Instead of a Random Number Generator (RNG), live casino games use human dealers. They will deal cards, roll dice, or spin roulette wheels live via HD video streams, and players can bet on the outcome. Having real human dealers is what sets live casino games apart from regular table games.

Wide Bet Limits

Live casinos are favoured by high rollers for the wide bet limits they afford. Whereas RNG table games tend to have a fairly low maximum bet (up to around £1,000), it’s common to see live dealer tables with upper limits of £10,000+ per hand.

Live Chat

The live chat function lets you talk to both the human dealer and the other players at your table. This function recreates the social element of a brick-and-mortar casino, which you won’t find on RNG slots and table games.

Game Variety

Live casinos offer much more variety than regular casinos. Instead of one or two RNG-powered blackjack games, you’ll find a dozen or more live dealer options. Most notably, live casinos offer poker games like Caribbean Stud, Casino Hold’em and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Live vs Online Casinos

The most obvious difference between live and online casinos is that live casino games play out in real-time, while regular online casino games are powered by RNGs. Other key differences include the variety of games on offer, bet limits, gameplay speed and the unique social aspect.

Pros and Cons of Live Dealer Casino Games

Live dealer casino games offer an authentic and immersive experience but come with some limitations. Here’s a quick look at their pros and cons.

Live Casino Bonus

A handful of UK casinos offer bonuses exclusively for use on live dealer games, though these bonuses are harder to find than slots bonuses. Alternatively, some sites let you use regular welcome bonuses on live dealer games for a smaller contribution to the wagering requirements. Below are some of the common bonuses available in the UK.

Deposit Bonus

A deposit bonus gives you bonus cash when you make a real money deposit. Almost all live dealer bonuses are deposit bonuses, e.g. a 100% deposit match up to £200.

No Deposit Bonus

Much less common are no deposit bonuses. These rare offers reward you with a small amount of bonus cash simply for creating an account, with no deposit required.

Free Spins

Free spins are a staple of regular online casinos. Exclusively for use on online slots, free spins are slot stakes that don’t eat into your real money bankroll and also available as free spins with no wagering requirements.

Cashback Bonus

Cashback bonuses give you a percentage of your lost wagers back as bonus money. Think of them as a safety net for live casino play.

Reload Bonus

Reload bonuses are essentially the same as deposit bonuses, but they are reserved for returning players.

High Roller Bonus

This bonus rewards players who make an exceptionally large deposit. Reserved for the casino’s biggest spenders, high roller bonuses have a much higher value than regular deposit bonuses.

Live Casino Games

Below are the most popular types of live dealer casino games, each of which has multiple exciting sub-variants.

Live Dealer Roulette

In live roulette, the dealer spins the wheel right in front of your eyes, offering a much more realistic experience than RNG-powered roulette games. Popular variants include Lightning Roulette, American Roulette, Double Ball Roulette, Speed Roulette and Mega Roulette.

Live Dealer Blackjack

Blackjack, the classic game of 21, is a staple of live casinos. It has the lowest house edge of any table game, and most live casinos offer dozens of variants for bettors of all budgets. Speed Blackjack, Power Blackjack, and VIP Blackjack are all popular live casino games.

Live Dealer Baccarat

In live baccarat, you’ll need to predict whether the Player or Banker will have a hand that totals closer to nine or if the game will result in a tie. Popular variants include Baccarat Squeeze, Speed Baccarat, No Commission Baccarat and Lightning Baccarat.

Live Dealer Poker

Live poker is all about making the best hand or bluffing your opponents into folding. Like land-based and RNG poker, bets are placed in rounds, and the player with the highest-ranking hand at the showdown wins the pot. Common live variants include Caribbean Stud, Texas Hold’em and Three Card Poker.

How to Play Live Casino Games

Playing live casino games is easy and convenient, whether you’re playing from a desktop or mobile device. It’s simply a case of choosing a casino, signing up, depositing and playing.

1. Choose a casino: Select a live casino from our recommended list. Click the link to visit the homepage and create an account.
2. Fund your account: Head to the Cashier and hit “Deposit.” Select your desired deposit method and amount, then fill in your payment details.
3. Pick a game: Head to the “Live Dealer” lobby, browse the games, and pick one you wish to play.
4. Make your bet: Depending on your chosen live casino game, drag and drop or click the buttons to place your bet.
5. Play the game: The human dealer will then spin the roulette wheel, roll the dice, or deal cards to you and other players.

Mobile Live Games

Mobile live casino games are a key part of the growing trend in mobile gaming. Online casinos are adapting their software to suit mobile players, building games on HTML5 technology and adding mobile-specific tools like jump buttons, banners and collapsible menus. HTML5 optimisation ensures the casino adapts to any screen size, while the additional tools allow users to navigate the site more easily.

Additionally, several online casinos offer dedicated mobile apps in the Apple App and Google Play stores. These apps provide enhanced usability and connectivity, mobile-exclusive bonuses, mobile-only payment methods (Apple Pay and GPay), streamlined login via FaceID/TouchID and push notifications.

Live Casino Software

The best live casino games are produced by popular and renowned software providers, who have adapted and evolved their technology for live players. The live casino sites we recommend feature games from these developers.

Evolution

Evolution Gaming is an innovator of the live casino world. Focusing solely on live dealer content, Evolution creates the most authentic table game experience outside of a retail casino. Popular with high rollers, Evolution allows bets of up to £10,000 and has maximum wins of up to 100,000x your bet.

NetEnt

NetEnt’s live casino career was relatively short-lived. The operator opened a live dealer studio in Malta in 2013 and achieved moderate success from 2018 to 2020. Evolution acquired NetEnt and all of its products at the end of 2020, publishing NetEnt’s live games under its own name from 2021.

Playtech

Founded in 1999, Playtech is one of the longest-running and most well-respected live software developers. Alongside providing top-tier live table games, Playtech is famous for adapting movies and TV shows for live gameplay, including Deal or No Deal, Jumanji and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Pragmatic Play

Alongside Evolution, Pragmatic Play is arguably the biggest name in live casino gaming. The developer is particularly famous for its live game shows, including Sweet Bonanza Candyland, Mega Wheel, and Snakes & Ladders Live. Boasting generous bet limits, 4K quality streaming and state-of-the-art studios, Pragmatic Play is truly a leader in live casino entertainment.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Live dealer casinos offer a range of popular and secure payment methods, including debit cards, e-wallets and bank transfers. You can use any of them to deposit and play live dealer games as well as make fast withdrawals. However, be aware that at some live casinos, certain payment methods, such as Neteller and Skrill, may be ineligible for bonuses.

Live Payment Options:

• Debit cards
• E-wallets
• Bank transfer
• Prepaid cards
• Pay by Mobile

Responsible Gambling at Live Casinos

It’s crucial to maintain responsible gambling practices when playing at live casinos. The realistic setup of live casino games, particularly having a live dealer, can make it especially hard to leave the table after a losing streak. However, it’s essential that you decide on a budget ahead of time and stick to it.

Every UKGC-licensed casino has a Responsible Gambling page with tools to help combat problem gambling. These tools can include deposit, loss and wager limits, session limits, cooling-off periods and voluntary self-exclusion. There are also self-assessments and links to both local and international support organisations.

FAQs

How do live casinos work?

Live casinos allow you to gamble in real time against players from across the globe. They provide software from live game developers who stream games like blackjack and roulette from studios around the world.

Where are the live casinos streamed from?

Live dealer games are streamed in real-time from studios around the world. Special tables are also filmed inside iconic brick-and-mortar casinos like the Hippodrome in London and the Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City.

Are live dealer casinos legit?

As long as the live casino has a licence from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), you can trust that it’s a legitimate and trustworthy operator. Live casino operators like Evolution and Pragmatic Play are among the most reputable software developers in the industry.

What happens if your connection drops at a live casino table?

When you lose connection during a game, the game will continue as if you’re still playing. If the round doesn’t require action, the game will play on, and any winnings that result from your stake will be credited to your account. If it does require action, the game will play on as if a decision was made.

Do live casinos have real dealers?

Live dealer games have real human croupiers sitting at the table dealing cards, rolling dice, or spinning the roulette wheel. You can even interact with them and other players by typing into the live chat function!

Can I play live casino games for free?

Unlike playing online slots or RNG table games, it’s not possible to play live dealer games for free at a real money casino. Running live casino games involves costs, like paying for human dealers and the live studio space, making them too expensive to run for free.

Can I get bonuses for live casino games?

Though not as common as slots bonuses, some online casinos offer bonuses specifically for live casino games. Alternatively, many UK online casino bonuses let you wager your bonus cash on live dealer games for a smaller wagering contribution (typically 5-10%). Make sure to check that live dealer games are eligible in the bonus T&Cs.