The online gambling industry is constantly changing and live dealer games have enchanted players who want an authentic casino experience while staying at home. These games merge convenience and social interaction, permitting players to chat with real dealers and others simultaneously. Nonetheless, creating a seamless live dealer experience is difficult and requires solving various technical problems in order to guarantee high quality.
The growth of live dealer games
Live dealer games have gained immense popularity, revolutionizing the online gambling industry. They accounted for approximately 50% of the revenue generated by online table games in Pennsylvania, a clear testament to their widespread appeal. The growth of this sector has been staggering, with companies like Evolution witnessing a remarkable 45% increase in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. These statistics highlight the rapid market share expansion and the increasing demand for the unique experience offered by live dealer games.
As the fastest-growing segment of the iGaming industry, live dealer games currently hold a 32% market share, according to a study by H2 Gambling Capital. The gross gaming revenue (GGR) for live dealer gaming has skyrocketed by 774% in the past eight years, reaching €5.3 billion. Although market share is expected to decrease slightly, GGR is projected to grow by 38% and hit €7.3 billion by 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic also led to an increase in online play, benefiting live dealer brands. Expansion into the US market and collaboration with land-based casinos further contribute to the growth of live dealer gaming.
Historically, a key factor contributing to the popularity of live dealer games was the cultural mistrust of the Random Number Generator (RNG) prevalent in the Asian market. Players often place more trust in live dealers, preferring the assurance of engaging with real individuals rather than relying solely on the RNG. This desire for authenticity and transparency has made live dealer games a preferred choice for many players, as they provide a genuine and honest gambling experience. However, in today’s market, more emphasis is being put on the premium product that live dealer games are, including the stylish studios, charismatic hosts, and high quality streams.
However, despite the widespread appeal and growing market share of live dealer games, they face their fair share of challenges. Unlike automated casino games, the quality of live dealer software cannot be easily observed and evaluated through traditional testing tools. Factors such as video smoothness, audio clarity, and synchronization of game data with the live video feed are crucial for an enjoyable experience, but can only be accurately assessed by real people engaging in manual testing. This brings to light the need for effective testing methods that ensure the quality and integrity of live dealer games.
In this article, we will explore how crowdtesting can play a vital role in maintaining the exceptional quality of live dealer games. By harnessing the power of real users, crowdtesting allows for comprehensive testing of various aspects, such as device compatibility, loading times of user interfaces and videos, and overall performance. We will delve into the benefits and significance of crowdtesting in optimizing the performance and reliability of live dealer games, thereby enhancing the overall player experience.
Join us as we unravel the intricacies of live dealer games, explore the challenges they face, and discover how crowdtesting serves as a crucial tool in maintaining the highest standards of quality in this dynamic and ever-evolving realm of iGaming.
How crowdtesting maintains quality live dealer software
Ensuring the seamless and high-quality performance of live dealer software and live dealer games are crucial to providing players with an exceptional gambling experience. In this section, we will explore how crowdtesting plays a vital role in maintaining the good quality of live dealer games, addressing the technical challenges they face and optimizing their performance.
- Device compatibility testing: Live dealer games need to function smoothly across various devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Crowdtesting involves a diverse group of real users testing the games on different devices, operating systems, and screen sizes. By identifying any compatibility issues and providing valuable feedback, crowdtesting helps developers optimize the games for a wide range of devices, ensuring a seamless and consistent experience for players.
- Loading time of UI and video: One of the key factors in delivering a smooth and immersive live dealer experience is the loading time of the user interface (UI) and video streams. Crowdtesting involves testers accessing the games from different locations and internet connections to assess loading times. By identifying any latency issues or delays in loading the UI and video, crowdtesters can help developers optimize the games for faster loading times, minimizing disruptions and enhancing the overall gameplay experience. A live sporting event can buffer for 10-15 seconds on your device and you wouldn’t mind, as it is close enough to live, but for live dealer games, 10-15 seconds would break the gameplay.
- Video and audio quality: The quality of the video and audio streams in live dealer games significantly impacts the player’s engagement and enjoyment. Crowdtesting allows real users to assess the video clarity, resolution, and smoothness of the live stream. Testers also evaluate the audio quality, ensuring that the sound is clear, synchronized with the visuals, and free from any distortions or disruptions. By providing valuable feedback on video and audio quality, crowdtesting helps developers identify and rectify any issues, ensuring a captivating and immersive experience for players.
- Synchronization of cards and game data: In live dealer games, it is essential to maintain synchronization between the cards or game data and the corresponding actions on the video stream. Distance from datacenters, unreliable and slow internet connections, different devices, different configurations all result in more surface area for mistakes. Crowdtesting lets live dealer companies uncover these bugs and make better decisions, as well as fix the underlying issues. By identifying any discrepancies or synchronization issues, crowdtesters contribute to maintaining the integrity and fairness of the game, creating a trustworthy and reliable gambling environment.
- Compliance and geo-blocking: Crowdtesting plays a crucial role in ensuring compliance with legal regulations and implementing effective geo-blocking measures in live dealer games. Testers from different regions evaluate the games to ensure they adhere to local laws, including age verification and responsible gambling features. Additionally, crowdtesters simulate unauthorized access attempts from restricted locations, checking the effectiveness of geo-blocking measures. They also assess data privacy and security measures, identifying vulnerabilities and helping create a secure gambling environment. By conducting compliance and geo-blocking testing, crowdtesting contributes to maintaining legal standards, protecting user data, and providing a trustworthy experience for players worldwide.
By harnessing the power of real users, crowdtesting brings a human perspective to the testing process. Testers not only evaluate technical aspects but also provide subjective feedback on their overall experience, such as the intuitiveness of the user interface, the responsiveness of the controls, and the overall satisfaction of gameplay. This holistic approach helps developers refine and optimize live dealer games, addressing technical challenges and enhancing the quality to meet the high expectations of players.
Live dealer software and platform testing procedures encompass a wide range of test scenarios specifically designed for live dealer providers. Our skilled analysts work closely with operators to create customized tests that cover critical aspects of live dealer platforms. These tests include evaluating login procedures, assessing the accuracy and reliability of dealer interactions, testing different game types, evaluating performance on various devices, measuring the speed of transactions, and analyzing success rates.
In summary, crowdtesting plays a vital role in maintaining the good quality of live dealer games. By involving real users in the testing process, developers can address technical challenges related to device compatibility, loading times, video and audio quality, and synchronization of game elements. The valuable feedback and insights provided by crowdtesters enable developers to optimize the games, ensuring a seamless, immersive, and enjoyable experience for players in the dynamic world of live dealer games.
Conclusion
Live dealer games have revolutionized online gambling by providing an immersive casino experience from home, driving their popularity among players worldwide. However, ensuring seamless performance poses technical challenges. Crowdtesting is crucial for maintaining game quality, involving real users testing device compatibility, loading times, video and audio quality, and game data synchronization. This approach brings a human perspective, helping developers address challenges and optimize games to meet player expectations.
How to get started
Contact us and elevate your live dealer gaming platform with Testa’s expert manual testing services. Assess, execute, analyze, and optimize further to stay ahead in the live dealer gaming industry. Gain a competitive edge with Testa’s comprehensive testing solutions.
Learn more about Testa at https://www.testa.io/