The chairman of Bally’s has presented a plan to help the legal online casino industry expand in more states. Online casino regulations remain stiff in the majority of states in the United States as local legislators continue to resist bills that aim to legalize online casinos.
Soo Kim, Bally’s chairman, suggests a slower approach. He believes this will help state lawmakers accept online casinos more easily. The plan involves shifting the focus to legalizing online live dealer games first.
Kim says this is a small but important step. It can help create a safer legal online gambling market. Online table games include roulette, baccarat, and blackjack. They can run on computer algorithms or stream live with real dealers.
Bally’s Corporation is based in Rhode Island – one of 7 states that have legalized online gambling along with Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The latest iGaming revenue report from the Rhode Island Lottery reveals that online slots generate the most revenue from players. However, online table games, or iTables, are also popular, bringing in over $150 million in just 5 months from July 2024 to November 2024.
Kim’s argument is that table games provide a more engaging experience that is closer to real-life gaming, where live dealers from remote studios deal cards or toss dice on virtual tables and interact with players through high-definition streams. Live dealer games will also open up more opportunities for work.
Online Live Dealers Better for Local Economies?
Online slots use computer software and an RNG algorithm, but live dealer tables have real dealers. This creates jobs instead of replacing workers.
Kim anticipates that the legalization of live dealer games will not be met with firm resistance from legislators. “It’s like a half step. We don’t have to do iSlots yet because, with iSlots, there are a lot of people fighting over it. That’s why I’m like, ‘Hey guys, instead of fighting over iSlots, why don’t we try to get live dealer?’ I bet you there will be very little resistance,” he said.
However, some industry experts question Kim’s more measured approach to the legalization of live dealer-only games.
Howard Glaser from Light & Wonder says most online gambling states make 80% of their money from online slots. This may stop lawmakers from supporting Kim’s plan.
Glaser says states with online live dealer games still get most of their gambling revenue from virtual slot machines.
He said state lawmakers may reconsider a potential legalization of live dealer games only due to the disproportionate revenue stream compared to online slots. “Even in states where live dealer is robust, 80% of revenue is still from slots. State legislation ultimately will be driven by revenue,” he said.
Still, Kim cited Rhode Island as an example of how prioritizing live dealer online games can lead to healthy progress for local economies.
He added that Rhode Island regulators were more open to legalizing live dealer tables. The live-dealer-first model, he added, did not lead to complex legal debates or questions that would ultimately undermine the plan. The fact that his model led to employment opportunities for locals prevailed, Kim said:
“In Rhode Island, the regulators felt really good about live dealer. They liked that we’re still employing people in the state and it had fewer constitutional questions.”
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