Live dealer games are a popular feature of most online casinos as they offer a more genuine-feeling experience with real people dealing cards and spinning roulette wheels on live streams. Bally’s Corporation Chairman Soo Kim proposes allowing these games as a steppingstone toward full-blown legal online casinos nationwide.

appeal to lawmakers concerned about fully expanding iGaming

He believes such a strategy would garner widespread support and appeal to lawmakers concerned about fully expanding iGaming, especially online slots, due to potential job losses and dips in land-based revenues.

Bally’s 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. Soo Kim mentioned that regulators in Rhode Island “felt really good about live dealer” as they mean people still have jobs in the region.

One issue with the proposal is the majority of gaming revenues come from slot games, so lawmakers might not see a live dealer-only approach as a worthwhile pursuit.