Live casino games stream in real-time from professional studios, letting you take part in games like Blackjack, Roulette, and Baccarat with live dealers managing the action. But you might wonder – is everyone at the same virtual table actually seeing the same thing at the same moment? The short answer is yes, and the systems that make it happen are quite sophisticated.
When you’re participating in any chance-based gaming at an online casino UK, fairness depends on every player seeing identical outcomes, even if they’re on different devices or in different locations. That’s where real-time synchronisation comes in, ensuring the Roulette ball lands in the same pocket for everyone watching, regardless of their broadband speed.
How live casino streams actually work
There’s quite a lot happening behind the scenes. Live casino games utilise video streaming, combined with Game Control Units (GCUs) and real-time data transmission. The dealer performs physical actions, such as spinning a wheel and dealing cards, while the GCU encodes the video and sends it to the players. Meanwhile, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software reads those physical actions and converts them into data that updates your screen.
The stream travels through a Content Delivery Network (CDN), which gets the feed to players worldwide as quickly as possible. However, not everyone has the same internet speed or device quality. Some players might be on fibre broadband with the latest smartphone, whilst others are on slower connections with older tech. This creates a challenge that synchronisation systems need to solve.
Keeping everyone on the same page
Real-time synchronisation means everyone sees the same result at essentially the same moment – or as close as technology allows. Live casinos use buffering techniques, local caching, and adaptive bitrate streaming to minimise differences in latency between players.
Here’s an example: if you have a slower connection, the system might slightly delay the stream for other players so that everyone sees the Roulette ball land at the same time. This matters especially in multi-player games like Blackjack or baccarat, where what one player does (hitting or standing) can affect what happens next.
It’s not perfect – there can be tiny delays of fractions of a second between devices – but these don’t impact whether the game’s fair. The outcome’s already determined by the physical action (the card dealt, the wheel spun), and that’s captured accurately for everyone.
Fairness and what regulators require
Regulated online casinos in the UK have to meet standards set by the Gambling Commission. These cover transparency, fairness, and integrity of live games. Synchronisation’s part of that framework, making sure each participant gets an equal and accurate view of what’s happening.
Unlike Random Number Generator (RNG)-based games, where software generates randomness, live games rely on physical processes – a shuffled deck, a spinning wheel. These are still forms of chance-based gaming, but the results need to be captured and delivered accurately to every player, wherever they are. Real-time synchronisation ensures outcomes are visibly fair.
What you can do on your end
While the casino’s systems handle synchronisation, you’ll want to make sure you’re playing on a reliable internet connection and a compatible device. Outdated browsers or poor network quality can affect your viewing, even though the game itself remains fair.
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Real-time synchronisation is what keeps live casino gaming fair when you’ve got hundreds of players at virtual tables worldwide. It ensures everyone sees the same cards dealt or the same Roulette spin, regardless of where they’re playing from or what device they’re using.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
