Evolution Gaming is an undisputed leader in the field of live casino gambling, offering a variety of award-winning business-to-business live dealer solutions. The company’s unrivaled expertise in this field not only enables casino operators to improve their services but ensures an unforgettable experience for all fans of live casino gaming.
Unlike other successful software providers in the industry, Evolution Gaming concentrates its full attention on the provision of authentic live casino games. The studio’s gaming suite has significantly expanded over the past decade, comprising over 100 hundred blackjack, roulette, poker, and baccarat tables.
The company boasts a long roster of reputable licensees and supplies live games to some of the largest casino operators on the web, including William Hill, LeoVegas, Betsson, Genting, Grosvenor, and Mr Green. Evolution Gaming is constantly looking to improve its services and maintain its unblemished reputation of being the world’s leading live casino provider.
The following article by SuperCasinoSites is a detailed overview of the renowned studio’s live dealer software, focusing on the company’s accomplishments and the features of its platform. Also included is in-depth information about the suite of live games Evolution Gaming has released so far.
Evolution Gaming’s Background at a Glance
1The Beginning
Evolution Gaming hails from Latvia and built its first and biggest live dealer studio in the country’s capital, Riga. The company launched its operations in 2006 and quickly consolidated its position in the industry by signing deals with well-known gambling operators like Gala Coral, Ladbrokes, 888, and William Hill.
2Market Expansion
In the years following its launch, Evolution Gaming continued to follow its path toward expansion. The company acquired licenses to legally service several European markets including Italy, Germany, and Denmark. Evolution Gaming is also one of the few software studios that have managed to penetrate the US gambling market.
3Awards and Accolades
It is impossible to talk about the studio’s accomplishments without mentioning the numerous awards for excellence Evolution Gaming has collected over the past fifteen or so years. Some of the biggest accolades the company has received include:
42010
EGR Live Casino Software Supplier of the Year (won for ten consecutive years), Software Rising Star of the Year
52014
EGR Game of the Year for Immersive Roulette
62017
Fastest Growing Latvian Employer at the Dienas Bizness Top 500 Awards
72018
Casino Content Supplier of the Year at the EGR Nordics Awards, Product Innovation of the Year at the Global Gaming Awards, and Innovation in Live Casino at the SBC Awards for Lightning Roulette
82019
Best UK Table Gaming Product at the British Casino Awards for Live Dual Play Roulette, Online Casino Supplier of the Year at the Global Gaming Awards in London, Innovation in Casino Entertainment at the SBC Awards
92020
Game of the Year for Monopoly Live and Casino Supplier of the Year at the Gaming Intelligence Awards
10Acquisitions and Scope of Operations
The year 2019 was significant for Evolution Gaming as this is when the software giant completed the acquisition of Ezugi, another leading live casino studio. The two companies remain the only licensed suppliers to operate on the US market to this date.
What adds further weight to Evolution’s reputation is the fact the company is publicly traded on Nasdaq Stockholm and the London Stock Exchange. The studio continues to expand its selection of live dealer games, with one of the latest additions being Lightning Baccarat. Meanwhile, the company’s team has grown to more than 3,000 employees.
Studio Locations and Licenses
Evolution Gaming is one of the fastest-growing companies on Latvian soil. Its main office and its biggest studio are located in the Latvian capital Riga. The software giant has around ten live dealer studios in total along with registered offices in six countries.
As the company continues to expand the scope of its business, SuperCasinoSites presents you with brief rundowns of its current studio locations and the markets the company has legally penetrated with proper licenses from the respective regulators.
Current Studio Locations
Evolution Gaming continues to expand its global operations by opening studios in newly penetrated markets. So far, the live casino solutions provider operates live dealer studios in the following locations.
- Latvia’s picturesque capital Riga is home to Evolution Gaming’s first and main studio, which serves as the central hub for all live dealer operations of the company. This state-of-the-art facility is staffed with over 2,700 employees, including hundreds of professionally trained dealers. The Riga location is considered the biggest single-site gambling operation of this kind in Europe, housing more than 100 live tables.
- The Malta location is Evolution Gaming’s second-largest live dealer studio on European soil. The Maltese studio is located in the town of Luqa and opened doors at the beginning of 2014. The current number of its employees is in excess of 500 people. The company also has registered offices in Portomaso, providing live-streamed services directly from the floors of the lavish landbased Dragonara Casino.
- The Swedish studio is located in the country’s capital Stockholm, servicing gamblers from the local market in their native language. Let’s not forget Evolution Gaming is also listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, which further consolidates its strong position on the Swedish market. Sweden’s capital is also home to two of Evolution Gaming’s founders.
- The UK is home to one of the smaller studios of Evolution Gaming, which is located at the heart of the British capital in the West End of London. It functions as the central hub of Evolution’s UK-based operations. The company also offers live dealer games streamed from the floors of the Hippodrome and the Ritz Club, two of the oldest and most iconic casinos in the British capital.
- Evolution Gaming has also launched a dedicated studio in the Spanish town of Murcia, which is the seventh biggest city in the country. The city sits on the picturesque banks of the Segura River on the Iberian peninsula. The company built its Spanish studio within the iconic Gran Casino Murcia.
- Evolution Gaming boasts yet another dedicated studio that was specifically built for the company’s operations on the Italian market. All gaming operations are conducted by local pit bosses and live dealers in Italian. The studio itself is located in one of the country’s largest casinos, Casinò di Campioni D’Italia. Here is an interesting titbit – this is among the oldest gaming venues in the whole of Europe.
- The company has two studios in Belgium, the first one being located in the town of Spa in the eastern region of the country. The facility is serviced by native dealers and pit bosses, fluent in the Flemish and French languages. It was purpose-built in another one of Europe’s older gambling venues, the luxurious Casino De Spa. The software giant has another studio in the Belgium city of Aalst.
- Evolution has successfully penetrated the Romanian market. Its seventh live dealer facility is located at the heart of the Romanian capital, more specifically within the world-class Grand Casino Bucharest.
- Estonia’s capital Tallinn is home to Evolution Gaming’s in-house poker staff. The poker team works toward improving the company’s poker offering, which comprises exciting games like Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Live Caribbean Stud.
- The company also services the Canadian gaming market thanks to a dedicated live casino facility in Vancouver. The studio commenced operations at the beginning of 2018. It occupies over 15,000 square feet within the Anvil Conference Center and staffs more than 170 employees.
- Evolution Gaming has offices in the Dutch capital Amsterdam but the facility is intended solely for engineering purposes. It is home to some of the company’s best software developers.
Licenses Acquired by Evolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming is a reputed provider of live casino solutions and as such, it operates only on regulated markets under licenses from their local regulatory bodies. All regulated markets the company is present on are listed below, along with the authorities that issued the respective licenses.
Proper licensing is important because it ensures all live gaming operations are conducted in line with the local regulators’ requirements for fairness and transparency. As you shall see, the company has a solid presence on some of the largest markets in the gaming industry. All these authorities carry out regular reviews to make certain Evolution’s suite remains on par with their regulatory frameworks.
- Evolution Gaming’s Licenses, Certificates, and Other Accreditations
- Critical Gaming Supply License, issued by the Maltese Gaming Authority (MGA) in 2012.
- License for Category 2 Online Gambling along with a certificate for Core Services Associate, issued by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
- Licenses for Remote Operations and Remote Gambling Software, granted by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The latter wins the race for the most rigorous gambling regulator in the world.
- A license for Conditional Interactive Gaming Manufacturer, issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in 2019.
- Evolution was also the first-ever supplier of live casino solutions to obtain a preliminary waiver approval by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement in 2013. The company launched its tenth studio in Atlantic City five years later, in 2018.
- Class E license granted by the Gaming Commission of Belgium (Kansspel Commissie).
- Class II certification from the Romanian National Gambling Office.
- A license for Class B Provider of Gaming Services, issued by the Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch of the British Columbia government, Canada.
- A license for the provision of gambling services, granted by the Latvian Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection.
- A certification granted in 2011 by the L’Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (Customs and Monopoly Agency) in Italy. Evolution Gaming is the first-ever provider of live casino games to obtain the approval of the Italian regulator.
- A certification issued in 2013 by the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling) in Spain.
- A certification from Denmark’s Danske Licens Spil, granted in 2012. Danish players can legally participate in the live games hosted from the supplier’s Maltese and Latvian studios. The company also has the approval of SKAT, the Danish Customs and Tax Administration.
- In 2020, Evolution Gaming received yet another license which enabled it to legally enter the gaming market in South Africa.
Standout Live Games Features
Evolution Gaming has created a robust live casino platform that stands out with a host of interesting features to enhance players’ gaming experience. Some of them are specific to certain types of live games while others are available across the entire platform. For instance, statistics on hot and cold numbers are inherent to Evolution Gaming’s roulette tables while the Bet Behind and Pre-Decision features are supported at the blackjack tables.
HD Quality
The quality of the live video stream is automatically adjusted by the software depending on the current speed of your Internet connection. Nevertheless, players have the option to tackle their stream’s quality manually, having a choice from three streams – Medium, High, and HD. In this case, you must first turn off the Auto Adjust feature from the settings.
Switch View
The Switch View feature is available at the live roulette tables, allowing you to choose from three different views, 3D, Classic, and Immersive.
Game and Account History
The Game History shows you detailed information about all the hands and rounds you have played, along with their corresponding outcomes. A detailed Account History is also available to players, allowing them to view a list of dates, games, wagered amounts, and payouts. The information is displayed in descending order, starting with the most recent game rounds.
Multi-tabling
Multi-tabling is an option for players who crave non-stop action. They can join and play at up to four tables simultaneously within a single browser window. Once you take a seat at one live table, you must click the Lobby button to add more games. Tables that do not support this option lack the +Table button.
Bet Behind
The Bet Behind feature is available across the majority of live blackjack games by Evolution Gaming. It gives you the chance to join full tables and place wagers on the hands of other seated players until a betting spot is vacated. The main player makes the hitting and standing decisions but you have the say when it comes to doubling, splitting, and insurance.
Hot Players Icon
Another cool thing here is the Hot Players icon. It resembles a gold medal and showcases how many rounds a given player has won in a row. This helps you identify the person who is on the longest winning streak.
Side Bets
Side bets are mostly available at the Evolution Gaming live blackjack, poker, and baccarat tables. Blackjack fans face an enormous variety of options, including 21+3 and Perfect Pairs. Players who enjoy baccarat can earn larger payouts by betting on ties and suited ties. The side bets included in the live poker variations are normally posted by those who wish to play for a progressive jackpot.
Favorite Bets
The Favorite Bets feature allows you to save up to 15 of your favorite wagers and bet combinations at the live roulette tables. Of course, you have the option to edit your list later.
Bet Statistics
The Bet Statistics feature showcases a diagram of the winning numbers up to a maximum of 500 recent gaming rounds. There is detailed information about the winning percentages for each dozen and column along with the current hot and cold numbers.
Autoplay
The Autoplay feature enables players to repost their preferred wagers or bet combinations a given number of times. This option can be activated only at the live roulette tables.
Chat Panel
The Chat panel allows you to communicate with your dealer and fellow players at the live table. You type your message into the chat box and the dealer responds to you verbally. If you consider the chat distracting, you can always deactivate it. Resizing and moving the chat box anywhere on your screen is also possible.
Pre-Decision
The Pre-Decision is one of the newest features Evolution Gaming decided to incorporate into their live blackjack games. Its main purpose is to increase the pace of the gameplay. It enables seated participants to make their hitting, standing, doubling, and splitting decisions simultaneously with the player seated in the first-base spot rather than waiting their turn.
Mobile Gaming Suite
Evolution Gaming provides a selection of live tables that are fully optimized for play on the go. Players can engage in world-leading live casino games not only on their laptops and desktop computers but across all tablets and smartphones that run on the iOS and Android operating systems.
The mobile gaming suite launched in 2012 and gradually expanded with the addition of new tables throughout the years. The mobile games are developed in the HTML5 language, meaning you can play them directly in the browser of your portable devices.
Many live casinos that work in partnership with Evolution Gaming also offer native apps you can install on your smartphone. As for the supported portable devices, these include all generations of iPad, iPad Mini, and iPad Air, all generations of iPhone, all Android tablets (including Sony, Google Nexus, and Samsung), and all Android-based smartphones (including the likes of LG, Sony, Huawei, Samsung Galaxy, Xiaomi, Google Nexus, and HTC).
All mobile live games are beautifully rendered and work seamlessly on each specific device and its corresponding operating system. You can switch between devices with great ease since the mobile games feature the familiar desktop user interface. Of course, you need a decent enough connection on the go to enjoy your playing experience to the fullest.
Live Roulette Selection
Evolution Gaming’s catalog features a selection of live roulette tables that is impressive in terms of sheer size. The roulette action is streamed live from the company’s studios in New Jersey, Vancouver, Bucharest, Malta, Riga, and Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. The games are hosted in a huge variety of native languages to the benefit of non-English speakers.
The user interface is largely uniform across all live roulette games so you will experience no difficulties when switching from one table to the next. The different settings and environments cater to a huge array of player preferences.
There are also in-casino streams from the roulette tables of some of the world’s biggest landbased gaming venues. Tables are available in all three popular formats – American, French, and European.
SuperCasinoSites’ List of Recommended Evolution Gaming Roulette Tables
- Immersive Roulette
- Lightning Roulette
- Dual Play Roulette
- French Roulette Gold
- Auto Roulette La Partage
- Double Ball Roulette
- Mini Live Roulette
- Speed Roulette
General House Rules
Players who join an Evolution Gaming-powered live casino are faced with a myriad of options but the majority of the tables abide by uniform rules. Three main options are available in terms of house rules.
- European Roulette plays according to the conventional single-zero rules, supporting the standard inside and outside wagers and their corresponding payouts. The En Prison rule is not applicable at the live tables so the house edge stands at 2.70%, with an RTP of 97.30%.
- French Roulette also relies on the single-zero format but features a bit different table layout. It offers the same types of wagers and casino odds but there is one important rule that sets it apart from the European version. Under the La Partage rule, players lose only half of their stake on losing even-money wagers when the zero hits. This reduces the house edge to 1.35% (the RTP is 98.65%).
- American Roulette plays on a different wheel, which includes an additional double zero (00) for a total of 38 numbered pockets. The casino odds for winning bets are identical to those in the French and European varieties.There is one additional betting option, the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, which is otherwise unsupported in the single-zero format. The extra 00 pocket makes for an inferior RTP of 94.74% and a house edge of 5.26%. A racetrack for special bets is also included on the American tables’ layout.
Live Dealer Roulette by Evolution Gaming Gameplay
Live Blackjack Games
The selection of live blackjack games is just as massive, with some Evolution Gaming licensees offering over fifty tables, sometimes even more. The tables under the Blackjack tab in the lobby are categorized based on minimum limits (usually $0.50, $50, and $100+). This allows players to easily identify the games that fit their gambling budget.
The stream, delivery, and the overall feel of the games are all superb while the user interface is again uniform across all blackjack tables. Most of the tables can cater to no more than seven seated players at a time, with the option to bet behind others. Other games like Live Infinite Blackjack allow an unlimited number of players to join the action simultaneously.
SuperCasinoSites’ List of Recommended Evolution Gaming Blackjack Games
- Infinite Blackjack
- Free Bet Blackjack
- Speed Blackjack
- Blackjack Party
- VIP Blackjack
General House Rules
All live blackjack tables launched by Evolution Gaming support up to seven seats, although betting behind seated players at full tables is often an option. The rules are mostly uniform across all live games which are dealt from eight-deck shoes. The dealers’ reshuffle either manually or by using automatic shufflers, giving players a penetration of roughly half a shoe or so.
Most of the tables follow the US style of dealing where the dealer receives one exposed and one hole card. Doubling down after a split is generally disallowed. The dealers draw to 16 and stand on all 17s, soft and hard. Players can double down on any two-hand total but resplitting is not an option. Drawing to split Aces is not allowed.
House Edges and Theoretical Return
The house edge at the Evolution Gaming blackjack tables is low in the main game under the playing conditions described above. It stands at around 0.72%. With that in mind, many of the tables offer options for side betting whose house edge is significantly higher.
The Perfect Pairs set of side bets offers an overall house edge of 4.10% assuming optimal basic strategy. The group of 21+3 side bets yields an overall casino advantage of 3.70% and an average return to player of 96.30%.
Live Dealer Blackjack by Evolution Gaming Gameplay
Live Baccarat Suite
Evolution Gaming also supplies a wide range of live baccarat games, with some live dealer casinos offering branded tables. Players can switch between Classic and 3D view, with most of the tables utilizing eight full packs, dealt out of a manual shoe.
Players have a choice from multiple camera angles for a more realistic experience that captures the live action down to the smallest detail. The games are conducted mostly by attractive female dealers seated at polished bean-shaped tables.
SuperCasinoSites’ List of Recommended Evolution Gaming Baccarat Games
- No Commission Baccarat
- Lightning Baccarat
- Speed Baccarat
- Baccarat Controlled Squeeze
House Rules
Evolution Gaming’s live baccarat games are shoe-dealt, using eight decks. Among the most useful features are the available roadmaps including the Small and Big Road, the Cockroach Road, and the Big Eye Boy. These provide players with detailed information about the results of previous coups they can use to improve their strategy.
Another interesting feature you will come across at some of the tables is the card “squeeze”, shot and streamed with multiple cameras. A player-controlled squeeze is also offered in some games. Those who prefer faster-paced gameplay perhaps will be interested in Evolution’s Speed Baccarat.
Novices get the chance to try the much simplified Dragon Tiger where only one card is dealt for each of the following betting positions: Dragon and Tiger. The suit is irrelevant in this game while cards are ranked from Aces (the lowest rank) to Kings (the highest rank). The payouts for each of these outcomes vary across Evolution-powered casinos.
House Edges and Theoretical Returns
The traditional betting options, card ranking, and casino odds apply. The Banker hand pays at odds of 0.95 to 1 whereas the Player hand offers an even-money payout. A tie wins at the standard odds of 8 to 1.
Many baccarat tables support optional Pairs side wagers, although we discourage you from posting them due to their higher house edges. The house edge in the main game at the best part of the tables stands at 1.06%, for an overall theoretical return of 98.94%.
One exception is No Commission Baccarat where the payout structure is a bit different to the effect of a lower theoretical return of 98.76%. The RTP in Dragon Tiger is even lower at 96.27% for the main bet.
Live Dealer Baccarat by Evolution Gaming Gameplay
Live Casino-Banked Poker
Evolution Gaming has launched a rich selection of casino-banked poker games whose main distinctive trait is that you play against the house rather than competing with fellow players. Some Evolution Gaming-powered casinos have integrated progressive side bets into their live poker tables, giving you the chance to compete for mouth-watering amounts of money. Below, we describe briefly the four most notable live poker games by Evolution Gaming.
Casino Hold’em Poker
Casino Hold’em Poker plays with one 52-card pack, shuffled after each hand. The player’s objective is to beat the live dealer with a higher-ranking five-card poker hand. To participate, you are required to post an ante bet, although there is also the option to make the Bonus and Jumbo 7 Jackpot side bets for larger payouts. The live dealer qualifies with paired 4s or better.
Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker was launched in 2013. In addition to the main wager, players have the option to post the extra Pairs Plus and 6-Card Bonus side wagers, which offer top payouts of 100 to 1 and 1,000 to 1, respectively. The live dealer plays with Queen High or better. Other than that, your goal is simple – beat the dealer with the better three-card poker hand.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Ultimate Texas Hold’em was first introduced by Evolution Gaming in the summer of 2016. It is rather similar to conventional Texas Hold’em, the only difference being it is house-banked. The objective is to obtain the best possible five-card poker hand by using your two initial cards and the five community cards on the board.
It is dealt from one 52-card pack, with the cards being reshuffled after every round. The game allows for one optional side wager which wins with Three of a Kind or higher no matter what hand the dealer gets. The maximum bonus payout is 50 to 1 for Royal Flushes. The player’s ante pushes if the dealer holds less than a pair.
Live Caribbean Stud Poker
Live Caribbean Stud Poker resulted from the partnership between Evolution and another studio, Games Marketing. Both the dealer and the player receive five cards each and the higher-ranking hand is the winner. The dealer’s hand qualifies if it is Ace/King or higher. Players can earn enhanced payouts of up to 1,000x with winning 5+1 Bonus side wagers.
Live Dealer Hold’em Poker by Evolution Gaming Gameplay
Live Dice Games and Game Shows
Apart from offering conventional table games, Evolution also boasts a host of refreshing releases that use elements of world-renowned game shoes and board games. Dice fans are catered to with a couple of unique offerings in the form of Sic Bo and Lightning Dice.
Lightning Dice
Lightning Dice is a highly rewarding live dice game conducted in a sophisticated Art Deco setting. It features random multipliers that can boost your payouts to up to 1,000 times. It supports a virtually unlimited number of players and uses a set of three dice. You can make wagers on the total the values of the three dice will add up to.
Super Sic Bo
Super Sic Bo is Evolution’s fresh take on the traditional dice game of Chinese origin. Three regular dice are placed in a dice shaker, with players having a choice from multiple betting options. You can wager on one or more dice-result combinations. There are additional multipliers of up to 1,000 times your bet on each round of play that can help you earn more.
Dream Catcher
Dream Catcher is a bespoke money-wheel-based game show, unique to the Evolution Gaming catalog. It features a live presenter that spins a wheel containing 54 pin-separated segments. As many as 52 of the segments contain numbers (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40), each one using a unique color. The remaining two segments contain 2x and 7x multipliers to boost your payouts on bonus spins. You win whenever the pointer halts at your selected number.
Deal or No Deal Live
Deal or No Deal Live was launched across Evolution Gaming-powered live casinos in May 2019. The renowned studio partnered with Endol Shine Gaming for this fresh game show that runs around the clock. It poses as a combination of the iconic television show of the same name and an RNG game that offers random multipliers.
Monopoly Live
Monopoly Live is the result of another collaboration with Hasbro. It won in the category Game of the Year at the 2020 Gaming Intelligence Awards. A large-size wheel is spun by a presenter, with players trying to guess which numbered segment the pointer is going to stop on. There are also additional segments named Chance, 2 Rolls, and 4 Rolls for bonus payouts and surprising instant wins.
Live Dream Catcher by Evolution Gaming Gameplay
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Find the answers of questions people asked so far:
Do all Evolution Gaming casinos offer the same selection of live tables and live game shows?
Generally speaking, any casino that is offering games by Evolution Gaming will grant you access to Evolution’s gaming lobby, which will offer the same live table games and game shows. That said, you may notice that the table limits of certain games may be different across various casinos that work with Evolution Gaming. This is due to the preferences of the casino operator, as Evolution does comply with the limit requirements of different operators. What is more, as some casinos cater to specific players, you may find live games in specific languages that may not be available across every casino granting access to Evolution’s gaming lobby. Again, just like the limits, the availability of certain games in specific languages may be a requirement of the operator.
Despite some casinos offering Evolution Gaming options with ranging limits or different native-speaking dealers, all Evolution casinos offer the entire gaming portfolio of the provider, ensuring access to all live table games and variety shows offered by the innovative software provider.