Graciella Anthony, former Head of Live and Table Games at Entain has joined Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) as its new Head of Live Casino.
VGW is the foremost sweepstakes-model social gaming company serving the US, operating Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker. It also owns Golden Feather Studios, a game development studio. VGW’s products, along with others in the sweeps casino space, provide players an alternative to real money gambling in states that have yet to pass legislation. These sites use virtual currency for their games, but offer the chance to win cash prizes under federal sweepstakes law.
Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots currently do not offer live dealer games. However, Anthony’s job title, which she announced on LinkedIn, suggests that VGW plans to introduce live casino options to stay competitive in the growing sweepstakes casino market. With her background at Entain—a global gaming company that co-owns BetMGM in the U.S. and operates brands like Bwin, Ladbrokes, Party Poker, and Sportingbet—Anthony brings valuable expertise that could shape VGW’s future offerings.
Several Social Casinos Offer Live Dealer Games
Live dealer games first appeared at US real money online casinos in 2016, with the arrival of Ezugi in New Jersey. Their popularity has exploded in recent years and has begun to expand into the social casino space.
VGW is the frontrunner in the social and sweepstakes casino sector, but live dealer games are one thing some competitors offer that its sites don’t.
The regulations facing US-real money casinos force them to partner with local studios operated by companies like Evolution, Playtech, and Authentic Gaming. Conversely, social casinos have typically collaborated with international studios and a different set of suppliers, including Beter Live, Vivo Gaming, and Atmosfera.
Some other social sites offering live dealer games include:
- McLuck: 5 blackjack and roulette games
- Stake.us: 15 games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Teen Patti, and Sic Bo
- High 5 Casino: 6 blackjack and roulette games
- Hello Millions: 5 games, including blackjack and roulette
- Chanced: 19 games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and Teen Patti
- Ding Ding Ding: 27 games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Teen Patti, Sic Bo, and Casino Hold’em
- Punt.com: 6 games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and Teen Patti
Live Game Shows Appearing at Social Casinos
One of the advantages of live dealer gaming is that it allows for unique experiences outside the normal range of digital casino table games. Live dealer game shows are tremendously popular internationally and beginning to catch on in the US.
According to Evolution’s CPO Todd Haushalter, none of the company’s top five games by player volume globally are traditional games like blackjack. Some of the company’s most popular games are Crazy Time and Crazy Coin Flip. Meanwhile, competitor Playtech is looking to capture market share through games like Adventures Beyond Wonderland and Buffalo Blitz Live.
Some social casinos are also noticing this trend. For example, Hello Millions has added Playtech’s Spin-a-Win, where the dealer spins a wheel, and players guess the outcome, including side bets. That game also provides one of the first examples of a live dealer provider working simultaneously with operators in the real-money and sweeps-social channels.
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