A landmark lease

Playtech announced on Monday that it has entered a long-term lease in Michigan to house its first live casino studio in the United States. This will be one of the biggest live entertainment studios in the state, with Playtech providing no exact details as to when the studio will be fully up and running.

plans to dedicate some live tables to specific operators

The London-based gambling technology company will introduce extensive video and technology capabilities to this studio from its flagship studio in Latvia. Playtech plans to offer its integrated live content for both retail and online offerings. It also plans to dedicate some live tables to specific operators, in addition network-based tables.

The site of the Michigan studio is the city of Southfield, a region that is becoming a hub for innovation and technology companies. The Michigan Gaming Control Board has already given its approval to this studio.

Focusing on US expansion

Playtech has the goal of developing a strong US presence. In addition to its first live casino studio, it eventually aims to provide software and services to each state with regulated gambling.

In February, it became a multi-state strategic partner of Parx Casino. This deal sees Playtech supplying the Parx online casino with various products from Playtech’s IMS Platform. The company also has agreements with BetMGM and Bet365 to supply their New Jersey online casinos with Playtech titles.

Speaking about the upcoming live casino studio, Playtech chief operating officer Shimon Akad said: “Our Michigan studio is being designed to be one of the more sophisticated studios tailored to the US market featuring innovation and entertainment at its best.”

Akad believes that Playtech will be able to take live casino games to the next level in the US market.

Growing popularity of live casino games

Live casino games have become increasingly popular in recent years among online casino players. They allow people to get a more immersive experience when they are playing table games, as a real-life person deals the cards or spins the roulette wheel. The HD-quality streams and chat capabilities add to the overall playing experience.

Though these types of games have been taking off in the US, one barrier to entry is that a live casino game provider needs to have a studio in each state in which it wants to offer its games to players.