Shared vs dedicated tables vs studio hosting: which live casino model fits

Almost every live casino provider sells the same three models, even when the names differ. Once you can see past the branding, the choice is simple: how much of the studio do you want, and how fast do you need to be live. This guide sets out the three models, what each is good at, and where each one fits.

The three models

Live casino content is produced in a physical studio: real dealers, real tables, cameras and a broadcast pipeline. The three commercial models are just three ways to buy access to that production.

• Shared tables. You plug into a live catalog whose studios, tables and dealers already exist and are shared across many operators.
• Private (dedicated) tables. Tables reserved for your brand inside the provider's studios, branded end to end.
• Studio hosting. A dedicated studio designed, built and operated for you, in a market of your choice.

Shared tables

Shared tables are the fastest and lowest-commitment route. The provider has already built the studios, hired the dealers and lit the tables. You integrate once and your players sit down alongside players from other operators at the same tables, which is what keeps every table busy around the clock.

This is the model to pick when speed and coverage matter more than exclusivity. You inherit the full table mix, the dealer languages and the operating hours on day one. The trade-off is branding: the tables are co-branded or neutral, not yours alone.

Private tables

Private tables sit inside the same studios but are reserved for your brand. Your logo, your colors, your table limits and your game mix, with dealers trained on your brand. Because the studio already exists, you go live in weeks rather than months, with no capital outlay on your side.

Choose private tables when a branded live room is worth paying for: a recognizable VIP space, a signature table, or a look that matches the rest of your casino. You are paying for exclusivity and control, not for faster coverage.

Studio hosting

Studio hosting is the deepest model. The provider designs, builds and operates a dedicated studio for your market, recruits and trains the dealers in-region, and runs the floor 24/7. You own the players and the brand; the operator runs the production.

This is a three to six month build, not a two-week switch-on. It suits operators with real scale in a region, a specific market to serve, or a plan to grow a live business that shared tables cannot shape closely enough.

How to choose

Three questions settle it in most cases:

• How fast do you need to be live? Weeks points to shared or private tables. Months is only worth it for studio hosting.
• How much does the brand on the table matter? If co-branded tables are fine, shared wins on speed. If the room has to be unmistakably yours, private or hosting.
• How much scale do you have in one market? A dedicated studio only pays back with volume. Below that, private tables give you the branding without the build.

The honest trade-offs

None of the three is simply better. Shared tables trade exclusivity for speed and coverage. Private tables trade a deeper commitment for a branded room without a build. Studio hosting trades time and commitment for a studio shaped entirely around your market.

Many operators start on shared tables for speed, then add private tables or a hosted studio as their live business grows. Once you are integrated, adding a route needs no extra integration work.

The integration is the same on all three models, so the decision is commercial, not technical. If you are unsure, start where the risk is lowest and expand into the models that earn their keep.

Common questions