A live dealer online casino blends the social elements of land-based casinos with the convenience of online casinos. They feature actual dealers, cards and tables. While you cannot play at a live dealer casino online in New York at present, there are several sweepstakes casinos that offer live dealer games. Here’s a guide explaining how live dealer games work and where you can play them in NY.
Best online live casinos for New York players
| Social Casino | Live Dealer Games | Bonus Code (Click to Sign Up) |
|---|---|---|
| WOW Vegas | blackjack, baccarat, roulette, Top Card, Joker’s Show | WOWBONUS |
| High 5 Casino | blackjack, roulette | Click to claim promo |
| McLuck | blackjack, baccarat, roulette, Crash Live, Spin a Win, Fashion TV Mega Party, Adventures Beyond Wonderland, Buffalo Blitz Live | PLAYBONUS |
| Crown Coins Casino | Spin a Win, Buffalo Blitz Live | Click to claim promo |
| Stake.us | blackjack, baccarat, roulette, Sic Bo, Teen Patti, The Kickoff | ALLSLOTS |
| Mega Bonanza | blackjack, roulette, Sic Bo, Crash Live, Spin a Win, Fashion TV Mega Party, Adventures Beyond Wonderland | Click to claim promo |
| Jackpota | blackjack, roulette, Sic Bo, Crash Live, Spin a Win, Fashion TV Mega Party, Adventures Beyond Wonderland, Buffalo Blitz Live | Click to claim promo |
| Hello Millions | blackjack, baccarat, roulette, Top Card, The Kickoff, Crash Live, Spin a Win, Fashion TV Mega Party, Adventures Beyond Wonderland, Buffalo Blitz Live | BONUSPLAY |
| Chanced | blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Sic Bo, Teen Patti, The Kickoff, Top Card, Virtual Dragon Tiger | Click to claim promo |
| Punt.com | blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Sic Bo, Teen Patti, The Kickoff, Top Card, Virtual Dragon Tiger, Virtual Top Card | Click to claim promo |
| BetRivers.net | blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, dice, Sic Bo, Mega Ball First Person, Triple Card Poker, First Person Dream Catcher, Extreme Texas Hold’em, Crazy Time, Casino Hold’em | N/A |
Pros and cons of online live casinos
A live dealer casino online offers many positives, although they aren’t necessarily for everyone. Here are some of the pros and cons of online live dealer casinos.
Online live dealer casinos offer greater convenience
Online live dealer casinos let you play from the comfort of your home or in some cases on the go via mobile apps. They allow a lot of flexibility in terms of game play, too, including offering a wider range of stakes than you’ll find when playing live. You can play live dealer games at an online casino for relatively small stakes (e.g., just a dollar, or even less sometimes), which obviously isn’t an option at retail casinos. You also never have to wait for a seat to open up at the table, as the games are always running and ready for you.
Better game variety in retail casinos
You are probably going to find more table games in a brick-and-mortar casino than among the live dealer offerings online. Games like Big Six, Let It Ride, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and even craps are more prevalent when playing in person. Indeed, those particular games are also more common at regular online casinos than at social casinos. That said, the variety among online casino games generally speaking is growing, including among live dealer games. Scroll down a little to the table of social casinos and the discussions of individual games that follow to see how many different live dealer games there really are online.
Different pace of play
When you play at the best live dealer casinos online, the games move relatively quickly. They are faster than in-person games (no tipping!), though not as fast as other online games. You can play twice as many hands of blackjack per hour at a regular “virtual” blackjack table online than you can when playing at a live dealer table. Of course, some players like having the person in a studio dealing the games while talking and interacting with players via chat. The social aspect of the game can’t really match playing in person, but it provides a fun version of doing just that.
Extra steps when cashing out
When you play at a retail casino, if you win you can immediately cash your chips in and pocket your winnings. At online live dealer casinos that use real money, you have to withdraw the funds which can sometimes take some time. When playing at social casinos or sweeps sites, you don’t withdraw funds but rather redeem coins for cash prizes or gift cards, which can also take a little extra time and effort.
Live dealer casino bonuses
Online casinos, both real money sites and social casinos and sweepstakes sites, offer many bonuses and run lots of promotions. At social casinos, for instance, you can often receive free coins and enjoy many live dealer games without spending a dime. That’s true when you join a new casino in NY and also true for ongoing players. You won’t receive bonuses so frequently when playing at land-based casinos that usually only provide standard comps on your play.
Where can I play online casino live dealer games?
As mentioned, there are a growing number of social casinos online where you can play live dealer games online in New York. All of the sites listed above have a selection of live dealer games you can play for free. Of those, Chanced and BetRivers.net feature 25 different live dealer titles, while McLuck, Stake.us, Hello Millions, and Punt.com all have over a dozen different live dealer games from which to choose.
Most real money sites feature live dealer games as well. If and when New York legalizes these online casinos, we expect the usual suspects to launch online casinos in the state, including:
The best live dealer online casino games
Here’s an overview of the different types of live dealer or “live casino” games you’re likely to find when playing at social casinos and sweepstakes sites. Many of these games are from top developers like Iconic21 and Playtech, but you’ll also encounter a lot of “in-house” live dealer games created and run by the sites themselves.
Note that when playing at social and sweeps sites, you can usually play these live games either with Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins (or whatever virtual currencies the sites use).
Live dealer blackjack
Blackjack is one of the best live dealer online casino games and also the one of the most popular. At the sites listed above you’ll find many standard versions of live dealer blackjack plus different variants such as Gravity Blackjack, Speed Blackjack, Take Deal or Risk Blackjack, and others. You can even find “7 Seats” blackjack tables at McLuck.
Live dealer roulette
Roulette is another popular live casino game online. Sites feature American Roulette (with both the single- and double-zero), European Roulette (with just the single-zero), and French Roulette (using a single-zero and some added rules) at live dealer tables. You’ll see variations here, too, like Gravity Roulette and Auto Roulette.
Live dealer baccarat
Sites with live dealer baccarat either stick with the standard game in which you can wager on the player, banker, or ties, or feature Grand Bonus Baccarat that adds bonuses and multipliers.
Live dealer teen Patti
Teen Patti is a card-based casino game from India. It plays a bit like baccarat, although hand rankings are derived from poker. You can make side bets as well (e.g., “Pair Plus”).
Live dealer crash Live
A “crash”-style game with a host where you place bets, watch the multiplier lines rise, and try to cash out before they crash. Crash Live plays a lot like the regular crash games, although you can make two different bets at once instead of just one.
Live dealer sic Bo
Sic Bo is the fun dice-based game from China that invites players to bet on particular numbers or combos. Sic Bo is commonly included among the available live dealer games at social casinos that have more than a half-dozen titles available.
Live dealer top Card
Top Card is a football (or soccer) inspired card game in which you bet either on the “Offense” or “Defense” to win (or on a draw) when the dealer puts out a single card on each side, with the higher-ranking card taking the prize.
The Kickoff
The Kickoff actually very much resembles Top Card, but uses dice instead of cards. The game also recalls Sic Bo (thanks to the dice) as well as Baccarat and other games where you bet on one side or another to win (or on a tie).
Buffalo Blitz Live
Buffalo Blitz Live is in fact a slot that you play with a host who presses the button to spin the wheels. It is a unique version of a “live dealer” game found at several different social casinos and sweepstakes sites.
Spin a Win
Spin a Win is one of the most prevalent of the wheel-based live games at social and sweeps sites. Think “Wheel of Fortune” as the game involves a host spinning a big wheel full of prizes as players wager varying amounts on the results.
Other wheel-based “TV show” games
There are other games like Spin a Win that involve a host spinning a wheel and resemble TV game shows, including favorites like Joker’s Show, Adventures Beyond Wonderland, and Fashion TV Mega Party.
Retail casinos in New York with table games
Those in New York have a number of retail casinos to choose from where they can find a nice selection of table games like blackjack, roulette, craps, and others. These include both tribal casinos and commercial casinos. While the big ones are mainly located upstate, New York has authorized three new casinos to go up around NYC in the near future.
Here are places where you can go play at a live casino in New York:
- Akwesasne Mohawk Casino (Hogansburg) — 25+ table games, plus a five-table poker room
- Del Lago Resort & Casino (Waterloo) — 65+ table games, plus a 14-table poker room
- Point Place Casino (Bridgeport) — 20+ table games
- Resorts World Catskills (Monticello) — 150+ table games, plus a 19-table poker room
- Rivers Casino & Resort (Schenectady) — 65+ table games, plus a 16-table poker room
- Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino (Salamanca) — 30+ table games
- Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino (Buffalo) — 35+ table games
- Seneca Niagara Resorts & Casino (Niagara Falls) — 100+ table games, plus a 16-table poker room
- Tioga Downs (Nichols) — 125+ table games, plus a six-table poker room
- Turning Stone Casino Resort (Verona) — 80+ table games, plus a 32-table poker room
- Yellow Brick Road Casino (Chittenango) — 14+ table games
Should I give a live dealer online casino a try?
The differences between land-based and live dealer online casinos will weigh heavily into whether you decide to try playing live dealer games online. As we’ve discussed, a live dealer casino is more convenient because it’s available through your mobile device or desktop computer. Meanwhile, even though live dealer casino games do incorporate a social element, they can’t match the experience of playing in a casino with a dealer and fellow gamblers.
If you’re undecided, then you should at least consider giving the live dealer games a brief try. Minimum bets are lower than what land-based casinos feature, which means you don’t need to risk a lot to play. If you decide to try a live dealer gaming site, also be sure to check out potential bonus deals.
In the end, one of the most important things is to have fun. With its combination of unparalleled convenience and a decent social aspect, playing at a live dealer online casino can help you do just that.