One of the biggest challenges for operators looking to launch live dealer operations is how can they truly replicate the land-based casino experience? Playtech and MGM Live are combating that problem by broadcasting their live dealer play directly from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Christian Stuart Senior Vice President and Head of Interactive at MGM Resorts International commented on the challenges of live dealer play at a recent SBC Press Conference saying, “We’ve been looking at the live dealer space for quite some time. It’s a large industry that represents about 20-30% of operator revenue, and we were trying to find our footing in what we could do in this space. After much searching around, we landed on Las Vegas – that’s our distinctive feature.”
“MGM has a major footprint in Las Vegas, it’s our home turf. We have billions of dollars worth of assets, but those assets have only ever been enjoyed in person. You’ve always had to travel to Las Vegas to see and experience them,” he added.
Stuart’s approach to live dealer play is especially helpful for Playtech, MGM’s partner on the project, as they can leverage the global power of the Las Vegas brand. “With Playtech, we saw eye-to-eye on the strategy that Vegas is a global brand. Vegas will cut through all markets. A lot of times when you’re looking at a US product selling to a certain jurisdiction, you worry about how it needs to be tailored to that market. But we believe that Vegas is a global brand that will allow us to cut through a lot of the noise.”
Stuart acknowledges that other operators will likely copy this strategy, but is glad that his outfit is taking the lead in broadcasting live dealer play from iconic Las Vegas casinos.