A momentous announcement was issued by Playtech this week regarding live dealer casino gaming in the US. The brand will launch its first live casino studio in Michigan after signing a multi-year lease for a Southfield property. The property will be the first live studio for Playtech casino sites in the United States and marks the start of the growth strategy for the company in the country.

Playtech’s flagship studio in Riga, Latvia, will be connected to the new Michigan studio once it is up and running. The company will use video technology to join the two casino studio services together. Playtech will need a few months to outfit the property before live dealer gaming can commence. It is unclear as to when this will be as a date has not been set.

The Value of Live Dealer Casino Games

Golden Nugget was the first US online casino to launch a live dealer studio when it opened its on-premise studio at its eponymously named property in Atlantic City back in 2015. As live dealer helped Golden Nugget become the top online casino in the market, that gamble paid off.

According to estimates from the Eilers & Krejcik , in New Jersey, live dealer alone accounts for 15-20% of online casino GGR.

Building Opportunity in the US

The new studio will be a starting point for Playtech to build upon its online gaming business dealings in the United States. The operator plans to feature customized areas for specific clients, along with networked tables.

iGamingBusiness North America who said that the company would scale up the studio to expand its content offering in Michigan and other states in the US that offer regulated online gaming services.

Shimon Akad, the chief operating officer for Playtech, said that the new Michigan studio is the first step in the US live expansion for the company. Playtech wants to create live dealer studios in all regulated states.

The company is committed to becoming involved within the communities in which it operates. For Southfield, Playtech plans to offer employment opportunities via the new facility. The city has quickly become a hub for technology and innovative ideas for the state of Michigan.

A Growing Online Gambling Market

Playtech is bringing its first US live casino game studio to Michigan, the country’s newest online gaming market. The market started offering services in late January, featuring casino and sports betting in the beginning. Mobile betting apps were launched by several providers, with big names like BetMGM, DraftKings, William Hill, TwinSpires, WynnBet, and Golden Nugget Online in the mix.

PokerStars MI was the only operator for a bit after launching January as well, but BetMGM dropped its online platform in March, providing one more option for poker fans. Additional operators are expected to launch in the future, including PartyPoker.

The industry may be new, but it already has seen tremendous growth and has massive earning potential. February was the first full month of operations for the state, with internet gaming bringing in almost $80 million for the month.  Most earnings came from the state’s 11 online casino sites.

With Playtech bringing in the potential for live dealer games, it creates even more content for the casinos to offer. It will be interesting to see the new live dealer studio’s effect and if the games provided dramatically increase revenues. Live dealer games’ popularity dictates that Michigan’s online casino earnings will increase as the Playtech live dealer studio opens for business.