Bally’s Corporation Chairman Soo Kim is pushing for the inclusion of live dealer games as a steppingstone towards the expansion of legal online casinos nationwide. Live dealer games have become a popular feature at online casinos, providing players with a more authentic gaming experience by having real people deal cards and spin roulette wheels through live streams.
Kim believes that by allowing live dealer games, it could help to ease concerns of lawmakers who are hesitant about fully expanding iGaming, particularly when it comes to online slots. There are concerns about potential job losses and dips in revenue for land-based casinos if online casinos are fully legalized. By starting with live dealer games, it could be a more palatable approach for lawmakers and garner widespread support.
Bally’s Corporation currently operates two land-based casinos in Rhode Island and runs the state’s only online casino, Bally Bet Casino, which features live dealer games from the Twin River Lincoln property. Kim mentioned that regulators in Rhode Island have expressed positivity towards live dealer games as it helps to maintain jobs in the region.
One potential issue with Kim’s proposal is that the majority of gaming revenues typically come from slot games. Lawmakers may be hesitant to pursue a live dealer-only approach if it does not seem like a worthwhile pursuit financially.
Overall, Kim’s proposal to introduce live dealer games as a steppingstone towards the expansion of legal online casinos nationwide is an interesting and potentially beneficial strategy. By addressing concerns of job losses and revenue dips, it could help to pave the way for a more comprehensive legalization of online casinos in the future.