Similarly to other forms of online entertainment, casino games have incorporated streaming culture. Casino games have integrated elements of interactive, real time, and social media style gaming into their products. Unlike games of the past, games of the present make players feel that other people in the same game are doing the same thing at the same time. Some games have integrated elements of interactive gaming that involve a leaderboard or other elements of gameplay that promote competition among players. Crash games and live dealer games represent two polar opposite forms of gambling. These games integrate different philosophies of gaming. They share a common fascination with how people interact and spend their time together.
In practice, swiper betting means the casino and sportsbook are situated in the same app. The live dealer tables feature hosts who read chat, while other games in the lobby show shared rounds and other players’ cash-outs in real time. The same sense of shared anticipation is felt when a player moves between tables. That shared element is what both formats strive to perfect and the reason why both formats have started to overlap.
The live casino floor, rebuilt for screens
A live casino is broadcast from a remote studio, where dealers interact with players over a chat, and acknowledge players and wins in real time. Dealers keep a positive and entertaining atmosphere to prevent players from losing interest.
That particular function actually impacts things quite a bit. Across studies on live dealers, it has been found that in the presence of an outgoing host, the average session length is extended by approximately 19%. One of the primary reasons for this is that engaging hosts help to create social interaction between the players and dealers and make the event a collective experience instead of a series of individual bets.
This is further reinforced by the actions of other players. If other players on the table place bets, for example, then a new player interprets this as social proof and the decision making process is less solitary.
This is the main idea being expressed: a game is designed to create a collective experience where players share in the outcome of a round that is facilitated by a live dealer. This design concept is not new and is more similar to the experience of a viewer engaging in a game show that is facilitated by a live host and broadcast on a streaming service like Twitch.
Crash games: 30 seconds, everyone together
A crash game has a multiplier that starts at 1x and increases until it crashes. Players have the opportunity to cash out their bets at any point during the climb. The return is determined by the multiplier. Cashing out at a 2x multiplier yields a 100% return on investment.
Typical crash game rounds last between 5-30 seconds. If a player does not cash out before the round crashes, they lose their bet.
Aviator, created by Spribe, popularized the crash game model. Since its release in 2019, numerous game providers have released crash game models with additional features. The original crash game model has been successful in various markets including Brazil, India, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
The public betting slip, cash-out multiplier leaderboard, real time public chat, and randomly awarded rain bonuses are a few of the features of Aviator that encourage a social gaming experience. The public cash-out slip and multiplier lead to an immediate competitive environment. The free bets reward players for being active in chat, emphasizing presence and participation.
Each player in a lobby gets the same multiplier and outcome point for each round. Consequently, rounds are structured in a way that makes them social in the same way a live roulette table is, where a single outcome determines the result for all of the players at the table.
Where they are similar
Both formats ultimately accomplish the same goal, creating a shared, observable casino experience, through means that may vary slightly from one another.
A dealer at a live roulette table is filmed and live streamed to players. In digital crash games, players view an interface that displays the outcome and point of exit for all players participating in the game. Players can also use live chat, and leaderboards display the highest multipliers of the session. Rain bonuses reward players for being active in the social layer.
All of this is made possible by the shared-round structure. A slot with a private RNG is by its nature solitary. By contrast, a game like roulette is social. All the players in the room share a single outcome. Similarly, all players share a multiplier that climbs over time. The structure of the game leads to design that encourages social interaction. There has to be something players can experience and share as a group. Cash or Crash Live embodies both a live-dealer and a studio game because it uses a hybrid of both. Additionally, it incorporates a ladder mechanic to represent a decision-making component of the game.
Why real-time togetherness is becoming iGaming’s new currency
There are interesting data in the areas of design and social interaction in gaming. A recent study showed that players of social gaming platforms retain 75% of their users after 6 months, while non-social gaming platforms retained only 50% of their users. Longer gaming sessions and higher user engagement are other benefits of social gaming. These improvements are brought about by relatively small changes to gaming platforms, for example adding leaderboards or chats.
What is keeping iGaming’s attention is that the most captivating elements of different entertainment mediums are people. People are naturally social creatures. Binding people’s need for social interaction and people’s obsession with games creates an endless well of ideas for game developers. Leaderboards reward individual players but reinforce group cooperation. Once iGaming incorporated these ideas into their products, they catered to an audience already fluent in group-based mechanics.
One of the clearest examples is Crazy Time, which launched in 2020. It is a money wheel with bonus games and multipliers, and one of its main draws is the host. It attracted people who were there for the show, the host, and the shared reaction when a bonus game appeared. Crash games reached a similar audience from a different direction: they are simple, fast and mobile-friendly, while visible cash-outs, shared rounds and chat keep the experience social.
Group mechanics reward players but more strongly reinforce group interaction. This idea has naturally captured an audience and has been replayable, reinterpretable, and re-imaginable by developers.
Live game shows and the blurring middle ground
Live game shows are one element of this blurring. What the studio has created is effectively a hybrid space, and within it, the concepts of crash and live casino games overlap and intersect.
Hybrid formats are designed to amalgamate multiple formats. For the host to interface with players and create a live casino experience, a charismatic host is crucial, like in Crazy Time. As was shown by the early tests of Crazy Time, the retention of players was higher when a more charismatic host was utilized.
For players, live game shows provide an opportunity to socialize in a casino setting. The games create a shared experience and provide players an opportunity to communicate and socialize, something that other casino games (Slots, Video Poker, Digital Blackjack, etc.) lack. Additionally, the round is played simultaneously, so a game-show host can interact with all players in the chat.
They are all watching. Recently, Pragmatic Play and Smartsoft, to name a couple, launched crash games. The features that make up Aviator (the live panel, the cash-out stream, the rain bonus) have been picked up by other studios as well. The same happens with live game shows. With each edition, the industry pushes the boundaries in terms of the types of bonus features available.
From different directions, to the same destination.
Live casino games adapted traditional table games by adding a broadcast studio and a social layer. Crash games have been built on the concept of shared social outcomes from the very first game. Ultimately, in both formats, players enjoy the social experience of a game where the outcome of each round is shared by the players in the game room.
The same is true for the iGaming market. The formats where a game show or game host interacts with players, reads their messages, or where players can see a real-time stream of cash-outs, are gaining the most popularity. The format may differ. The basic concept of the format is always the same.
