View of the Vanšu bridge and the Swedbank headquarters as seen from the waterfront at nightIn recent years Baltic states have become an undeniable power within the online gaming industry: large conferences are being held, international gaming companies place their branches in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania. Mainly, because of the cheaper but high-quality workforce, tax policy and online gambling legislation which are more liberal than in other European countries.

Online casino streaming industry is not an exception. Thus, in 2017, the biggest live casino studio was opened by Playtech operator in Latvian capital Riga. One of Europe`s largest live casino streaming facility is located in the old town of the city right on the walls of the 16th-century fortress and has a capacity of 8,500 square meters. When the project of the “Next Generation” Playtech’s live casino studio was completed, all operation migrated into the new space.

The studio is equipped with hundreds of cameras, and custom-made gaming tables and advanced control and monitoring systems. All the staff is being trained and developed according to the company`s high standards to ensure quality service for its customers.

Apart from being high tech and functional, this live casino studio is also visually and aesthetically attractive, it was conceptualized and designed, as the official website highlights, with the “future-first approach”. Every single detail was carefully executed.House of Blackheads and St. Peter's Church Tower at dusk, Riga, Latvia

On their website Play Tech mentioned that their Latvian dealers are among the best ones: over 500 employees speaking a multitude of languages. There is a hierarchy among the dealers based on their performance and objectives. Assessment of dealers takes place regularly.

When speaking about dealer’s operation, the rules are rather strict: the schedule is per shifts as the live studio operates 24/7. The operation time at the table is around 1,5 hours at one table followed by debriefing with supervising managers. Briefings and meetings take place regularly before every shift starts.

It is also worth highlighting the high level of security present in the Latvian studio: 24/7 guards register every visitor coming into the building both guest and employee. All sensitive areas are locked with electronic locks. No electronic devices are allowed within the operational areas.

Among the objectives of such a remarkable facility was to attract more new customers for the Playtech products (which they did) and also to achieve flexibility and capacity to introduce new live casino products into the market.

Coming back to the growing popularity of the Baltic states among live casino operators, Latvian capital is hosting a live casino studio from another leading operator – Evolution Gaming. Their live Riga based live studio is considered one of the most important in the company and the most growing one. Evolution Gaming also owns a poker oriented game development center in Estonian capital Tallinn.