Live dealer games require three things: (1) a stable internet connection, (2) server capacity on the casino side, (3) streaming infrastructure that can handle simultaneous players. When one fails, you get buffering.
Buffering is usually not the casino's fault. It is usually your connection. A live dealer game streams video. Video requires more bandwidth than a regular website. If you are on residential internet and someone else in your house is streaming Netflix, you have a bandwidth conflict. The video stream gets delayed. You see a freeze.
The fix is obvious: close other applications. Stop downloading files. Ask other people in your house to pause their streaming. Use a wired connection instead of WiFi if possible. WiFi is convenient but unstable. A cable connection is more reliable.
If closing other applications does not fix it, the problem might be the casino's server. During peak hours (8 PM to midnight), casinos experience high player volume. The streaming infrastructure gets saturated. You get buffering. Evolution Gaming, which handles most live dealer games, has improved their infrastructure significantly since 2020. Buffering is less common now.
The Technical Details
A live dealer stream is typically encoded at 1.5-3 Mbps. This is lower than Netflix (which is 5-25 Mbps depending on quality) but higher than a website. You need reliable internet to watch without interruption. If your connection drops below 1 Mbps, the stream will buffer.
Most home internet in developed countries is 50+ Mbps, so capacity is usually not the issue. Consistency is the issue. WiFi is inconsistent. Wired connections are consistent. If you play live dealer regularly and experience buffering, switch to a wired connection.
The casino can also reduce stream quality. Evolution offers options: HD, SD, low bandwidth. Selecting low bandwidth reduces the bitrate to 0.8 Mbps. The video quality suffers but the buffering decreases. This is a tradeoff worth knowing about.
When Buffering Is The Casino's Problem
If your connection is stable and wired and you are still buffering, the casino is the problem. This happens during technical maintenance or when server capacity is exceeded. The casino will usually post a notice: "live games temporarily unavailable due to maintenance."
If there is no notice and you are buffering, contact support. They can usually fix it. If they cannot, you can request credits for the interrupted play.
Buffering during a live game is more frustrating than buffering on Netflix because money is involved. You are in the middle of a hand. The stream freezes. You cannot fold. You cannot call. You are stuck. Most casinos have rules: if the connection drops mid-hand, the hand is replayed from that position. But this is not pleasant.
Prevention
The best prevention is simple. Play on a wired connection. Close other applications. Play during off-peak hours (when server load is low). Avoid WiFi.
If your home internet is unreliable, consider playing at a different time when you can use a more stable connection. This is not ideal, but it beats repeatedly experiencing buffering.
Live dealer games are the most immersive form of online gambling. The buffering breaks that immersion. Preventing buffering is worth the small effort of closing other applications and using a wired connection.
Buffering in live games feels like a personal failure. It is not. It is usually a technical issue that has a straightforward fix. Nine out of ten buffering problems are solved by using a wired connection.
