Ezugi was founded in 2013 as an exclusive developer of live dealer games, focused on creating an engaging alternative to playing at land-based casinos. Even if the company itself is quite young, it’s managed by individuals with vast experience acquired both online and in the physical world.
And it shows! It didn’t take them very long to build an enviable reputation and earn respect of players, experts, as well as their senior competitors.
The provider currently offers 20 live dealer games streamed from 9 studios and available at more than 100 gambling sites across the globe. The company is based in Tel Aviv, employs about 200 people, and operates with a license issued by the Curacao eGaming Licensing Authority.
Ezugi games are streamed from studios in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Baltics. In addition to public tables, the provider also offers private ones which are fully customisable, down to studio, the dealer, and card design.
Ezugi 360 is a unique platform which allows land-based casinos to overcome barriers stemming from the limitations of the physical space.
Limitless number of players can join games played at casino tables without having to claim a seat – either via their mobile devices, tablets located at the bar, terminals positioned on the casino floor, or TVs in their hotel rooms.
The company was also the first to provide live games from within a US casino, namely Gold Nugget Casino in Atlantic City.
Quality of Ezugi games is generally high in more ways than one. Multiple cameras allow players to get a good look of the cards and the wheel, interface is extremely user-friendly, lagging is kept to the minimum, and seeing other tables in the background further contributes to the authenticity of the gaming experience.
Players with low connection speed can downgrade video quality or alternatively use Auto option to let the software customize it automatically. Well-designed Lobby displays all available games, each with the picture and name of the dealer, table betting limits, results of the last round, and number of occupied seats (if applicable).
Ezugi’s portfolio is exceptionally diverse and their games feature functionalities additional to the usual game history, live chat, audio and video controls. This is one of the rare developers to include the option of tipping the dealer as a way to thank them for great service and performance.
Ezugi products additionally incorporate social tools which will allow you to chat with your Facebook friends while playing, and brag when you hit a big one.
Ezugi Live Roulette
Ezugi’s Live Roulette is a European-style game with a single zero and the house advantage of 2.7%. Multiple games can be played at once, and multiple views of the Roulette table, delivered by 3 cameras instead of the usual 2, help create an immersive gaming experience. Players will get about 30 seconds to place bets on a computer-generated table before the ball gets released.
On top of traditional stakes, Ezugi Live Roulette offers rarely seen Red and Black Split bets. The first consists of 4 split bets where the split is made of only reds – such as 9/12 and 27/30. The second is made up of 7 split bets on only black numbers, like 10/11 and 26/29.
Table limits are displayed on the screen and at Casino Extra you’ll see them ranging from €0.10 to €2,000.
Bet management buttons are placed at the bottom of the screen, along with chips of various denominations. Tips button allows you to tip the dealer, while Statistics button opens history and displays Hot / Cold numbers, last 10 winning ones, and the overview of winning number / areas over 100 preceding spins.
Live Auto Roulette plays without a dealer but features hi-tech, fully-automated wheel which makes the game far more authentic than those powered by an RNG. It comes with exactly the same functionalities as Ezugi’s Live Roulette hosted by a living and breathing croupier.
The developer additionally offers OTT (over-the-top) Roulette games streamed from land-based gambling venues around the world, such as Portomaso, Royal and Oracle casinos.
HD cameras have been installed above the tables, and though the communication between the physical and online location has been disabled in order not to disturb land-based players, those gambling via the Internet can still interact with each other.
Ezugi Live Blackjack
Standard Live Blackjack seats 7 players but offers countless others to Bet Behind. They’ll be able to double behind a player that doubles, split when they split or play only the right hand, purchase Insurance along with the participant their betting behind or decline to take it.
The game additionally features optional Perfect Pairs and 21+3 side bets, the latter combining Blackjack and 3-card Poker and paying up to 100:1 based on the combination of the player’s first two cards and the dealer’s up card.
Players are offered to take Insurance and surrender the hand for half their stake when the dealer shows an Ace. Join the game and you’ll feel almost like sitting at a real table. All controls have been discreetly incorporated and in no way obstruct the view.
Toolbar section allows you to adjust sound control and switch to full-screen view, as well as access history and game rules. At Casino Extra, one can place bets of as little as €1 and as much as €2,000.
Unlimited 21 Blackjack Auto Split can welcome an infinite number of players simultaneously. It comes with auto-split functionality on certain pairs and features Perfect Pairs and 21+3 side bets.
Ezugi’s Hybrid Blackjack is an add-on which also allows countless participants to join those seated at the table, with Blackjack hands simulated by an RNG along with hands dealt by the dealer.
Ezugi Live Baccarat
Ezugi offers what is probably the most diverse range of Live Baccarat games. Standard one accepts unlimited number of players, features classic roadmaps and extra statistics, and offers optional side bets such as Player and Banker Pair, Big, Small, Perfect Pair and Either Pair.
Knockout Baccarat comes with a collection of 7 separate side bets, including Winning Total which pays between 2:1 and 7:1, and Natural Win Player / Banker offering to cash out 4:1.
Baccarat Super 6 is a variation with slightly different payouts and the Super 6 side which delivers 12:1 for a bet on a winning Banker total of 6. Baccarat Dragon Bonus is a standard game with an optional Player and Banker bonus side bet.
The side bet wins when the hand you bet on has a higher natural point count than the other, or if the winning hand is 4+ points higher than the losing hand. The larger the margin, the bigger the payout.
Live Dragon Tiger is basically a 2-card Baccarat where one card is drawn to the Dragon and one to the Tiger, with players betting on which of the two will be higher. This variant features 3 side bets, namely Odd/Even, Big/Small, and Suit. At Casino Extra, Live Baccarat betting limits range from €0.5 to €2,000.
Ezugi Live Casino Hold’em
Live Casino Hold’em, broadcasted from Ezugi’ Eastern Europe studio, is yet another game to accept hundreds of players at the same time. The game uses one deck and all participants bet on the same hand.
Optional side bet delivers for a pair of Aces or higher, paying between 7:1 and 100:1 even when the dealer wins the round. Simple interface makes it easy to play, and while cards placed on the table are visible enough, an additional digital display of those dealt is provided on the side.
Ezugi Live Bet On Numbers
Bet On Numbers is a lottery-style game streamed live from the developer’s Baltic studio. Live on-screen, real-time draw of 6 balls takes place every 4-6 minutes.
Players are offered to bet on 36 different number combinations by choosing 1, 2, 3 or 4 individual numbers, red or white color, and the sum of numbers.
The highest payout of 2,000:1 ends in the hands of a player that correctly guesses 4 out of 6 numbers drawn. One can purchase multiple tickets for the same draw and thus increase their winning chances.
Authenticity is achieved not only by numbered balls getting randomly sucked out of a glass ball instead of being chosen by an RNG, but also close-ups of all critical elements while the draw takes place.
Ezugi Live Keno
Live Keno, broadcasted from Ezugi’s Latvian studio, is a classic game of drawing 20 balls out of 80. Before the round starts, players are placing bets with the help of a computer-generated list found at the bottom half of the screen.
One can bet on a single number and up to 8 balls, either choosing the numbers by themselves or using Auto Pick button. The results and one’s winnings (if any) will be displayed on the right until the beginning of the next round.
Auto Sic Bo
Unlike Playtech’s Live Sic Bo, Ezugi’s variant draws winning numbers by using 3 wheels, each with 48 sections and numbers between 1 and 6. Same betting options are available as in the classic game. Live Sic Bo is streamed from Ezugi’s Belgium studio, plays without a live dealer, and is available 24/7.
Other than in English, players will find Ezugi live games hosted by Turkish and Spanish-speaking live dealers. Each non-English game presented in the Lobby features a small flag to indicate which language is spoken at that particular table.
Not long ago, the company has launched so-called Lounge Roulette situated in a library environment and hosted exclusively by Turkish croupiers.
Platform Overview
Ezugi’s games can be played on a range of different devices thanks to their multi-platform solutions. PC players will be accessing Flash version, while HTML 5 format makes games accessible to those using iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
One can also enjoy Live dealer games on Smart TVs with mobile devices acting as gaming controls.
Live Dealers
Ezugi’s live dealer team is a kind of a mixed bag. One can encounter pleasant and smiling individuals, obviously well-trained, focused on the game and eager to interact, but also ladies and gents speaking less than perfect English, rarely cracking a smile, occasionally looking bored and yawning into the camera (though they will politely apologise for doing so).
Suited pit bosses make an occasional appearance, probably to reassure players everything is 100% under control.
Competitive Advantages and Points of Difference
It’s incredible to see a late comer feature such a diverse portfolio which is clearly superior to those of their more experienced and much larger competitors. Ezugi’s range includes many of the standard games but also a few unique ones which make them stand out.
Quite a few additional ones seem to be on their way, including Caribbean Stud with a progressive jackpot and Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker. Their games come with unique functionalities, such as dealer tipping and social tools, as well as rarely seen extras like the above-mentioned Roulette side bets.
What’s not so good is that streaming quality varies depending on the studio, and quality of the dealers is equally inconsistent.
Perhaps in the near future Ezugi would be better off upgrading these two important elements, rather than focus on adding new games to an already impressive portfolio. Especially seeing how much effort the leading live gaming providers invest into delivering impeccable production quality and uniformly good dealers and croupiers.
Latest innovation by Evolution Gaming, Lightning Roulette combines the excitement of playing live roulette with the winning potential of slots. Before every spin, between 2 and 5 numbers are awarded an improved multiplier between 50 and 500 times of your wager.
It gets better. The RTP on it is matching that of European Roulette (97.30%) which means that you give up nothing, but get to play a much more exciting variation of live roulette.