Evolution Gaming and 888 Holdings have extended their partnership agreement to work together to launch live dealer gaming in New Jersey.

Known as one of the top online gaming companies in the world, 888 Holdings has announced that its online casino in New Jersey will now offer live dealer gaming. 888casino, one of several licensed operators in the state, will launch a live casino service for customers via Evolution Gaming this summer.

New live casino offering

888casino will be launching several live dealer table games in New Jersey via its extended partnership with Evolution Gaming. Games on offer will include American (Double Zero) Roulette, Blackjack with Bet Behind and side bets, Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker, Automated Slingshot Roulette, Baccarat, and Three Card Poker.

The introduction of 888casino live dealer games will signify the first time that Evolution Gaming has offered services in New Jersey. On the new launch, 888 COO Itai Pazner said: “888 is committed to growing in regulated markets and has expanded in the US over the last five years. We see the addition of Evolution’s Live Casino to 888casino as an excellent growth opportunity, and it will allow us to offer even more entertaining products to customers across their favorite 888 sites. We are confident that Evolution’s Live Casino will continue to drive additional growth for 888 in New Jersey.”

Four live dealer offering in NJ

When 888casino launches live dealer games this summer, it will be the fourth site to offer such content in the state. There is a surprising lack of live dealer games in New Jersey, when considering the number of online casino operators in the state. Live dealer games were first launched in NJ in August 2016 via the Golden Nugget Casino and Betfair Casino, both operating under the license of the Golden Nugget land-based casino.

The launch of live dealer games took place basically three years after online casino gaming began in the state. This is surprising because the gaming option is highly popular among gamers. Players love being able to access games with live action, placing their wagers as gaming takes place in live form, plus interacting with the dealer and other players.

The Golden Nugget and Betfair were the only operators to provide such gaming options until earlier this year, when the Borgata decided to offer live dealer within their portfolio. In April, the Borgata soft-launched live dealer games along with affiliated sites, playMGM and PartyCasino.

Live dealer games have certainly given the Golden Nugget a leg up against the competition, as the brand has continued to be the top revenue producer in the state month after month. Having been the first to offer live casino gaming, the brand continues to reach the $8m mark and shows no signs of slowing down. While the Betfair Casino and Borgata offer similar live dealer games, the Golden Nugget has a unique option that players flock to. The Live Casino Floor Roulette game offers players a unique experience as live game play takes place from the casino floor rather than in a studio or separate space.

It will be interesting to see how well the games are received once 888casino launches the Live Casino content via Evolution Gaming. Online casino gamblers in New Jersey are quite receptive to live dealer content, and there is no doubt that 888casino will be able to benefit from the new gaming section, as they grow their brand in the state.