Live Dealer Craps
The best online casinos allow you to play craps with a live dealer. Simulcast from speakeasy-themed studios, these games are designed to replicate the experience of gathering around the craps table in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Live dealer craps offers a similar sense of theater, anticipation, and sociability, but you can play from the comfort of your own home.
This guide will explain how live dealer craps works. We will discuss how it compares with virtual craps games and help you choose the best option for your preferences. You will also discover the best real-money online casinos for live dealer craps games, so keep reading to learn more.
Why play live dealer craps?
For many years, online casinos offered only virtual craps. These games are powered by random number generators, which also provide the results for slots, video poker games, and other virtual table games. They are secure, fair, and reliable games, and the best titles boast sharp graphics and realistic gameplay. However, the advent of live dealer craps provides players with a compelling alternative. These are the main benefits of the live dealer version over virtual online craps.
- Authenticity – Live dealer craps games come closer to replicating the experience of playing at a physical craps table than their virtual, RNG-powered counterparts.
- Sociability – You can use the live chat function to interact with the dealer and fellow players, which is not possible in virtual craps.
- Trust – The RNG tools powering virtual craps games at licensed online casinos are routinely tested for fairness and accuracy, but some players feel more comfortable watching physical dice rolled across an actual table in real time.
- Atmosphere – The anticipation and atmosphere are often heightened when you play live dealer scraps, especially if the live chat is vibrant.
- Bonuses – The best online casinos offer bonuses to new and existing customers, and some cover live dealer craps, whereas brick-and-mortar casinos do not offer bonuses.
- Convenience – It is much quicker, easier, more convenient, and more cost-effective to play live dealer craps than to venture to your closest retail casino.
How does live dealer craps work?
Evolution Gaming is the principal supplier of live craps games to legal online casinos in the United States. It has created a high-quality, speakeasy-themed studio. You can connect with a live craps dealer based in one of those studios at real money online casinos such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM.
When you play craps in person, the role of the shooter alternates among the players. That role is automated when you play virtual craps. Live dealer craps offers a happy medium, as physical dice are launched onto the table via a mechanical device (essentially a robotic arm) for each come out roll and point roll. As always, this mechanical device is routinely tested by independent examiners to ensure it delivers fair, accurate results in line with the Return to Player (RTP) rates of the game.
You can click or tap the screen to lay chips on your chosen betting option(s). The dealer will acknowledge your bet, and you can also see the bets placed by your fellow players. The come out roll will then take place, followed by point rolls if necessary. You can continue betting during each subsequent point roll. All bets will be settled by the end of each round, and you can then lay your chips again.
Types of live dealer craps
Most real money online casinos offer only a single live dealer craps game, supplied by Evolution Gaming. The company has studios covering New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Connecticut. However, its Connecticut studio does not currently offer craps, so it is only available in four states right now. You may also find Lightning Dice and Sic Bo provided by Evolution. These dice games are different from craps but may still appeal to craps fans.
Now, let’s break down two different versions of craps from Evolution Gaming.
Standard
The standard live dealer craps game is available at all the leading online casinos in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The betting limits can vary from one online casino to the next. They are usually pretty broad, but you will generally find higher limits on live dealer baccarat, blackjack, and roulette than for craps.
The game neatly replicates the experience of playing craps at a physical casino. However, one common complaint is that it only allows you to place 1x your bet amount at true odds behind an open pass/don’t pass or come/don’t come bet. Other games offer a 2x, 3x, or even 5x multiple at true odds. On the plus side, you will gain odds of 6:5 or 3:2 when taking or laying odds, so this game has a maximum RTP of 99.17%.
First Person
Evolution Gaming also offers a virtual game called First Person Craps. Aesthetically, it follows a very similar approach to the live dealer version. However, the rolls are powered by RNG software, there is no live dealer, and it does not have a live chat option.
It is similar to virtual craps games from other software providers but with better graphics. You can click or tap on the “GO LIVE” button at any time when playing First Person Craps, and it will transport you to the live dealer craps game from Evolution.
Where to play live dealer craps
Our experts have reviewed each online casino offering live dealer craps games. These are the best options in the country right now.
BetMGM
BetMGM is the most popular online casino in the US. It offers a vast range of games, including thousands of slots and plenty of high-quality table games. You can play Evolution’s live dealer craps and first person craps games at BetMGM, along with another virtual craps option.
New customers can use the BetMGM Casino bonus code PLAYUSACAS to claim a $25 bonus upon registration, plus a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $1,000. You can use the $25 bonus on craps. It has a 1x wagering requirement, but craps only counts 20% toward the playthrough due to the game’s high RTP. That means you would need to place $125 worth of wagers on craps, and any funds would then convert to cash. You can then withdraw the money if you make a real money deposit of $10 or more.
BetRivers
BetRivers is another popular online casino that offers a huge variety of slots and table games. It offers first person craps and live dealer craps from Evolution. The live dealer craps game is playable from just $0.50. The casino also posts the payback rate from the past hour. For example, you might see “105% Payback” displayed alongside the live dealer craps game, indicating whether the dice are hot or cold.
If new customers use the BetRivers Casino affiliate code RIVUSA, the online casino will insure your first 24 hours of play on the site. Net losses will be refunded up to $500 in NJ, WV, and MI. The rebate is capped at $250 in PA. Refunds arrive as bonus funds, but they will only have a 1x playthrough requirement before converting to cash.
DraftKings
DraftKings Casino offers three virtual craps games—first person craps from Evolution and two exclusive games—plus the standard live dealer craps option. DraftKings’ live craps game from Evolution is playable from $1 to $5,000, which is a higher upper limit than most rivals allow.
The DraftKings Casino app and website are both very reliable and user-friendly, with some competitive bonuses available. The welcome bonus gives you a choice. New players get $35 in casino credits just for signing up. Plus either a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $50 in casino credits, -or- 100% net losses back up to $2,000 in casino credits. Live dealer games count 10% towards completing it.
FanDuel
FanDuel Casino also hosts the standard live dealer craps game supplied by Evolution Gaming, along with first person craps. The online casino has a very fast and accessible mobile app, providing rapid payouts.
The welcome bonus is a Play It Again offer worth up to $1,000. It earns you a rebate—paid in bonus funds with a 1x playthrough requirement—on any net losses sustained while playing craps or other casino games during your first 24 hours.
PokerStars Casino
PokerStars Casino offers a comprehensive live dealer section in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It offers live dealer craps from Evolution Gaming, along with an exclusive, PokerStars-branded live craps game. You can play virtual craps via the PokerStars Casino app or website.
The PokerStars Casino welcome bonus gives you a choice between a Bet $1, Get $150 deal or a 100% deposit match up to $150. Unfortunately, live dealer games do not contribute toward the rollover requirements attached to the bonus funds at PokerStars Casino, but you can play virtual table games when working on them.
Live dealer craps FAQ
All the bets available via an online craps game are the same as those found at a brick-and-mortar casino. They include pass/don’t pass, come/don’t come, multi-roll, and single-roll bets. However, some online craps games may feature a few additional side bets to consider.
Live dealer craps games are not rigged if you stick to licensed, regulated online casinos in the United States. Evolution Gaming, a large and trusted provider, is the main supplier of live dealer craps games to legal online casinos. State regulators and authorized agencies routinely test its games to ensure fairness and accuracy.
You can interact with the dealer and other players via the live chat function while playing live craps from Evolution Gaming. Other live craps games offer the chance to interact with the dealer, too.
Yes, you are typically playing alongside other players when you venture into a live dealer craps game at an online casino. You can see which bets they are placing, and you can chat with your fellow players and the dealer.
A live chat function allows you to talk to other players during a live craps game. That means you cannot verbally communicate, but you can type into a chat box if you would like to interact with them during the game.
Real money online casinos such as DraftKings, BetMGM, and FanDuel do not currently offer VR capabilities when you play online craps. However, Flutter Entertainment has developed a social casino VR craps game. It was part of the PokerStars VR suite, which has now been rebranded as Vegas Infinite.
The minimum bet limit varies from one online craps casino to the next, but it is often just $0.50 or $1. However, you do not need to bet on each roll of the dice. If you have an open pass or don’t pass bet, for instance, you do not need to lay down additional chips for the subsequent point rolls.
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