Live vs RNG casino games: the cost per hour

Live casino vs RNG games: the short answer

An RNG game (random number generator game) is pure software: a certified algorithm picks the card, number or dice result and the screen animates it. A live casino game streams a real dealer, wheel or shoe from a studio, and the physical equipment produces the result. Both are legal, regulated products when you play at a UK-licensed casino.

The core maths is the same when the rules are the same. A single-zero roulette wheel has 37 pockets in both formats, a straight-up bet still wins 1 time in 37 and pays 35 to 1, and the house edge is 1/37, or 2.70%. What the format changes is speed, atmosphere, the range of tables on offer and a few rule details that are easy to miss.

How live and RNG games decide each result

Live dealer games are streamed in real time from a land-based casino or from a studio built to look like one. A studio set-up needs at least three rooms: the live studio itself, a server and software room, and an analyst's room. Staff usually include camera operators, several croupiers, an IT manager and a pit boss who settles disputes between players and croupiers. Optical character recognition (OCR) reads the dealer's physical result, such as a card or a pocket number, and turns it into data the betting software can settle.

Evolution describes its live casino games (opens in a new tab) as broadcast in real time, often 24 hours a day, from studios designed like TV sets with multi-camera video, lighting and audio. You connect by phone or computer, place bets through the game interface and can chat with the dealer. Our page on how live casino works walks through the studio side in more detail.

An RNG game has no studio at all. The software draws a number from a random number generator, maps it to an outcome (pocket 17, the eight of clubs, a total of 11 on three dice) and shows the result. Because nothing physical is involved, an RNG table can run thousands of games at once for different players, and each player controls the pace of their own game.

Hybrid formats sit between the two

Some games mix both. Evolution's Auto Roulette uses a real automated wheel with no dealer. Its Lightning Roulette spins a physical single-zero wheel, then uses RNG to pick the boosted Lucky Numbers. Evolution's First Person range is the reverse: RNG games dressed in 3D animation, with a Go Live button that moves you to the streamed version. See our guide to first person casino games for that bridge format.

Live vs RNG odds: why the house edge usually matches

The house edge comes from the gap between true odds and the payout, not from who deals. On single-zero roulette every bet is paid as if the wheel had 36 numbers, but it has 37, so the casino keeps 1/37 (see Wizard of Odds on roulette basics (opens in a new tab)) of all money staked over the long run. A live wheel and an RNG wheel built to the same rules both produce that 2.70%. Gambling Commission technical standards back this up: a simulated device's theoretical probabilities should match those of the real device.

So why do people say live games have different odds? Usually because they are comparing different rules. Live tables often run eight-deck blackjack shoes, while an RNG table might use six decks or a single deck. A live baccarat table might pay the tie at 8 to 1 while another game pays 9 to 1, a gap of almost ten percentage points on that bet. Live roulette lobbies include American wheels at 5.26% beside European ones at 2.70%. Compare the rules card, not the label.

Speed and cost per hour: where live and RNG really differ

Expected loss is stake × house edge × number of bets. The edge is fixed by the rules, so the number of bets is the lever that moves your cost per hour. Live games have betting windows, dealer actions and a spin or deal you have to wait for; RNG games run as fast as you click, subject to UK minimum game-cycle rules.

Evolution says its Speed Roulette takes 25 seconds a round, about half a standard live round, which implies roughly 50 seconds for a normal table. Its Auto Roulette is described as capable of 60 to 80 games an hour. For RNG roulette, the Gambling Commission's minimum of 5 seconds per game cycle for non-slot games sets a ceiling of 720 rounds an hour (3,600 ÷ 5), although real play is slower because you have to place chips each time.

The arithmetic for each row is the same: £5 × 2.70% = 13.5p per spin, multiplied by the number of spins. The rows assume you bet on every round, which you do not have to do. Even so, the table shows why a quick RNG session can cost several times more than an hour at a relaxed live table with identical rules. If you prefer RNG games, slowing down is the single best way to make a budget last.

These are long-run averages. In any single hour you could finish well up or well down; the average describes what the edge takes from all the money you stake over many sessions.

Is live or RNG fairer? How UK rules police both formats

Neither format is fairer when the casino holds a Gambling Commission licence. Under remote technical standard RTS 7, random number generation and game results must be 'acceptably random', and compensated (adaptive) games, which adjust results to hit a payout target, are not permitted. Guidance says RNG output should be uniformly distributed and the next number should be computationally infeasible to predict. You can read the standard on the Gambling Commission's RTS 7 page (opens in a new tab).

The same standard covers mechanical devices such as live roulette wheels: the physical items used to choose a result should not be altered, and players should not be able to touch them. Live games add human oversight on top, with a pit boss, cameras and recorded rounds. RNG games are checked in a different way, by independent testing labs that analyse the software before release.

Physical wheels can, in theory, develop small biases, which is why studios maintain and monitor their equipment. Wizard of Odds analysed reader data on one wheel and found 278 hits on a number in 8,672 spins against 234.38 expected; even that gap had about a 1 in 466 chance of being pure luck. An RNG has no wear at all. If you want the full case for and against, read are live casino games rigged.

Live vs RNG blackjack: shuffles, decks and seats

Blackjack shows the clearest practical differences. Most online RNG blackjack shuffles a fresh virtual deck before every hand. Live tables deal from a physical shoe that is reshuffled only when the cut card appears; Wizard of Odds reports that Evolution's Lightning Blackjack shoe is eight decks, reshuffled after roughly four have been dealt.

Shuffling every hand trims the house edge very slightly, by about 0.02% in a six-deck game according to Wizard of Odds on online blackjack (opens in a new tab), because it removes some unhelpful card combinations late in a shoe. It also makes card counting pointless, which is the main reason some people assume live blackjack is 'beatable'. Live tables generally use shuffling methods that defeat counting in practice, so treat the shoe difference as history and theory rather than a strategy.

Seating differs too. A classic live table has seven seats, and bet behind lets extra players back a seated hand. Evolution's Infinite Blackjack removes the seat limit by dealing one common starting hand that every player then plays their own way; Wizard of Odds lists it as an eight-deck game with a 0.45% house edge with its six-card Charlie rule. RNG blackjack always seats you alone, so you never wait for anyone.

Whatever the format, basic strategy is the tool that brings the edge down to its published level. Our live blackjack guide and the head-to-head on online vs live blackjack go further.

What live casino adds, and what RNG does better

Live dealer games cost operators much more to host than virtual games, which is why casinos tend to stick to roulette, blackjack, baccarat and sic bo live, plus the newer game shows. Evolution even runs Dual Play tables inside land-based casinos, naming the UK among its locations, so online players can bet on a real casino-floor table.

How to choose between live and RNG games

1. Decide what you want from the session: atmosphere and a slower pace (live) or quick practice and flexibility (RNG).
2. Set a budget and a time limit before you open the lobby, using the casino's deposit limit and reality check tools.
3. Pick the game first, then the format. Compare the house edge on the bets you actually plan to make.
4. Open the rules screen and confirm the key details: zeros on the wheel, blackjack payout, deck count, tie payout.
5. Estimate your hourly cost: stake × edge × rounds per hour. Use the table above as a guide.
6. If you choose RNG, set your own pace, because nothing slows you down except the 5-second minimum.
7. Stop when you reach your time or money limit, whichever comes first.

If you are still learning, an RNG demo lets you practise blackjack decisions or roulette chip placement without staking money. Once you know the game, a live table's slower rhythm can be the more economical way to enjoy it. Our guide to choosing a casino game covers the wider picture.

Live casino vs RNG myths, corrected

• Myth: RNG games are programmed to take your money after a win. Fact: compensated games are banned under RTS 7, and every result is independent of the last.
• Myth: live dealers can steer the ball. Fact: under RTS 7 the physical wheel must not be altered and players cannot touch it, and the edge is already built into the payouts, so the casino has no need to influence a spin.
• Myth: live games pay out more. Fact: with identical rules the house edge is identical; differences come from rule changes, not the stream.
• Myth: you can spot patterns on a live wheel's history board. Fact: past spins have no memory, which is the gambler's fallacy.
• Myth: betting systems work better at live tables because they are slower. Fact: no staking system changes the edge, live or otherwise.

UK rules that apply to live and RNG casino games

Since 17 January 2025 the Gambling Commission has banned autoplay for all online casino games. It said it saw 'no convincing reason to exclude live casino games' from the ban, but noted that a re-bet button is not autoplay and can help in live games with short betting windows. The same date brought a minimum of 5 seconds per game cycle for casino games other than slots, a ban on playing several games at once, and a requirement to show your net spend and time played in real time.

Online slot stake limits of £5 a spin (£2 for 18 to 24-year-olds) apply only to reel-based slots, not to live or RNG table games. Table limits are set by each casino and game instead, which we cover in live casino table limits. For the full list of rules for streamed games, see live casino rules in the UK.

Where to play live and RNG table games

Our partner welcome offers are aimed mainly at slots, so treat them as a separate decision from choosing live or RNG tables. Table and live games are often excluded from bonus wagering or count for less, so read each casino's terms before you opt in. 18+ only, and terms apply.

• Casumo: 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, opt-in required. Wager the bonus 10x within 7 days, with a £5 maximum bet while it is active; game, play and payment restrictions apply.
• 10bet: 100% match up to £25 when you choose the casino welcome bonus and deposit within 7 days. Wager the bonus 10x on slots within 3 days; maximum bonus winnings £1,000; Skrill and Neteller deposits excluded.
• Coral: deposit and bet £10 on slots to get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours and valid for 7 days, with no wagering on free spin winnings. Some payment methods, including PayPal and prepaid cards, don't qualify.

For live tables at a specific brand, check the casino's game lobby, and see our live casino bonus guide for how bonus terms usually treat streamed games.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.