Tag: #distribution

How Real-Time Streaming Tech Powers Live Dealer Casinos?

Here’s the thing most players don’t think about when they sit down at a live dealer table: somewhere, in a perfectly lit studio, a real human is shuffling cards while an army of cameras, servers, codecs, and network engineers quietly lose sleep so your blackjack hand doesn’t freeze on a seven of hearts.

Live dealer casinos feel effortless. That’s the magic. But behind that smooth stream is one of the most demanding real-time tech setups in online entertainment. This isn’t Netflix. You can’t buffer your way out of a bad hand.

So let’s pull back the velvet curtain and talk about how real-time streaming technology actually powers live dealer casinos—and why it’s way more impressive than most people realize.

 

Why Live Dealer Streaming Is a Different Beast

Streaming a movie is easy. Stream it late? No problem. Pause it? Totally fine. Stream a live casino game? That’s a high-wire act without a safety net.

Live dealer casinos require ultra-low latency, meaning the time between the dealer dealing a card and you seeing it must be nearly instant. We’re talking fractions of a second. Any delay longer than that, and players start shouting “rigged” in the chat.

On top of that, everything must be synchronized:

  • The video feed 
  • The betting interface 
  • The game logic 
  • The timer counting down your decision 

If even one of these slips, the illusion collapses. And once the illusion is gone, so is the trust.

 

The Studio: Where the Magic Actually Happens

Live dealer studios are closer to TV broadcast sets than casinos. Dealers don’t just stand at a table; they perform under intense lighting designed to eliminate shadows, glare, and suspicious reflections.

Multiple HD cameras surround the table. Not one. Not two. Usually three to five, capturing:

  • A wide shot of the dealer 
  • A close-up of the cards or wheel 
  • A backup angle in case something goes wrong 

These feeds are captured simultaneously and pushed into real-time encoding systems. No editing. No retakes. If the dealer drops a card, the internet sees it.

This is where latency becomes the enemy. Every extra processing step adds delay, so casino streaming setups are stripped down to essentials. Speed beats beauty.

 

Encoding: Turning Reality into Data (Fast)

Once cameras capture the action, raw video is useless unless it’s compressed—fast. This is where real-time encoders step in.

Encoders convert video into formats that can travel quickly across the internet without destroying image quality. Modern live casinos rely on adaptive bitrate streaming, which means the stream adjusts itself on the fly depending on your connection.

Strong Wi-Fi? You get crisp HD.
 Weak signal? The resolution drops, but the game continues.

That’s why you can play from a café, a train, or your couch without the table freezing mid-spin. It’s not luck. It’s math, bandwidth management, and ruthless optimization.

 

The Invisible Middleman: Streaming Servers

Here’s a fun fact: the dealer isn’t streaming directly to you.

Between the studio and your screen sit distribution servers scattered across regions. These servers decide the fastest possible route for the video to reach you, shaving milliseconds wherever they can.

This is especially important for players hopping between platforms while comparing options like the best online casino ireland has to offer, where performance and smoothness often matter more than flashy bonuses.

The same logic applies again when players debate which platform truly deserves the label best online casino ireland—because when the stream stutters, no welcome offer can save the experience.

 

Syncing Video With Bets: The Real Challenge

Video alone isn’t enough. The casino must sync what you see with what you can do.

When the dealer says “Place your bets,” a countdown timer appears. That timer isn’t cosmetic. It’s linked to the same system handling the video feed, the dealer’s actions, and your clicks.

This requires event-driven architecture, where every action triggers multiple responses instantly:

  • Dealer starts dealing → betting closes 
  • Card hits the table → result updates 
  • Wheel stops spinning → payouts calculate 

If any of these lag behind the video, chaos follows. Imagine betting on a hand after seeing the card. Exactly. That’s why live dealer platforms are built like financial trading systems, not casual games.

 

Latency Wars: How Casinos Keep It Fair

Fairness in live dealer casinos isn’t just about honesty—it’s about timing.

To prevent abuse, casinos deliberately add tiny, controlled delays to certain actions. Not enough for players to notice, but enough to prevent anyone from exploiting network advantages.

This balancing act ensures that:

  • Everyone sees the same action at the same time 
  • Bets are locked fairly 
  • No one gains an edge by sitting closer to a server 

It’s a constant war against physics, geography, and impatient players.

 

Human Touch, Digital Precision

One reason live dealer casinos exploded in popularity is psychological. Humans trust humans.

Seeing a real dealer shuffle cards does something algorithms never could. It lowers suspicion. It adds warmth. It turns gambling from a cold interface into a shared moment.

But that human touch is supported by ruthless precision. Every shuffle is tracked. Every card scan feeds into a backend system verifying outcomes in real time. The dealer smiles. The software double-checks.

It’s theatre backed by engineering.

 

What’s Next: Faster, Closer, More Immersive

The future of live dealer streaming isn’t just higher resolution. It’s lower latency, regional micro-studios, and interactive layers.

Expect features like:

  • Dealers responding to chat in real time 
  • Personalized camera angles 
  • Seamless switching between tables without reloads 

As 5G and edge computing mature, the gap between physical casinos and digital tables will shrink even further. The screen will disappear. The experience will remain.

 

Live dealer casinos work not because they look real—but because the technology behind them refuses to fake anything.

Every spin, every card, every awkward dealer joke travels across oceans in milliseconds, balanced on a knife-edge of timing and trust. It’s messy. It’s complex. And when it works, it feels effortless.

Which is exactly the point.

IKEA opens its first Distribution Centre in Ireland

IKEA Ireland is today opening its state-of-the-art distribution centre in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, marking a significant milestone in the company’s expansion within Ireland. This new facility, employing over 200 people, follows investments in six plan and order points, upgrades to the Ballymun store, and an innovative collaboration with Tesco Ireland on affordable collection service, all to bring IKEA closer to customers across the country.
The new distribution centre will result in IKEA’s business in Ireland having one of the shortest delivery times in Europe. Before now, IKEA deliveries to Irish consumers required dispatch from the UK. With the inauguration of this new multi-million-euro facility in Ireland, delivery times will reduce to just three days. This strategic move not only brings IKEA products closer to its Irish customers but also significantly improves product availability throughout Ireland.

The vast distribution centre is over 27,000 square metres, has a storage capacity of 20,000 cubic metres – equal to over 258,000 flatpack BILLY bookcases or double the size of Croke Park pitch – and is capable of housing up to 9,000 different product lines, spanning across almost every product in the IKEA range.

IKEA expects the distribution centre to be making more than 300,000 deliveries in the first year of operation, with that figure almost doubling to nearly 600,000 within five years. Eventually the plan is to be able to deliver up to three million items a year from the centre.

“The opening of Ireland’s first IKEA distribution centre will greatly benefit our customers through faster and more reliable deliveries. It marks a key step in our ambitious expansion plans across Ireland. We remain committed to – and are continually investing in – the future of our physical store in Dublin, but we want people to enjoy the IKEA experience no matter where they choose to engage with us, whether through our full-size store, plan and order points, or online. This new distribution centre will greatly enable this, by increasing availability of our products and reducing lead times”

Jakob BertilssonCountry Customer Fulfilment Manager, IKEA Ireland and UK

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

This new distribution centre also underscores IKEA’s firm commitment to sustainability. The building is one of the most sustainable and energy-efficient logistics facilities in Ireland. It has a Building Energy Rating (BER) of A2 and includes features like rainwater harvesting and roof-based solar panels.

IKEA is also transitioning to exclusive zero emission home deliveries, which together with locating the distribution centre closer to its customers, will result in significant reduction in CO2 emissions and more sustainable deliveries.From today, customers with Dublin Eircodes will receive their home deliveries in zero-emission vehicles. IKEA has committed to ensuring all deliveries to customers across Ireland will be exclusively in zero-emission vehicles by August 2025.

As the first step to advance towards this goal, 17 electric vans will deliver IKEA goods across the country, with the number of zero emissions vehicles doubling by August 2025. As of now, two zero emission vehicles will be based in Cork, two in Athlone, four at the Ballymun store, and nine at the new distribution centre. These 17 zero emission vans will replace diesel delivery vehicles, resulting in an estimated annual saving of 283,000 litres of diesel, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 750 tonnes per year.

To support the transition to zero emission deliveries, IKEA has established an extensive electric vehicle charging network at the distribution centre, comprising of three rapid charge points for quick top-ups and 20 overnight charging points for full recharges.

IKEA’s 8MW wind farm near Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, will also support the retailer’s transition to zero-emission deliveries and use of 100% renewable energy to power the distribution centre and IKEA’s flagship store in Ballymun, Dublin. It is projected that the wind farm produces about twice the amount of electricity required by the new distribution centre and the Ballymun store.

Furthermore, to secure even more renewable energy for the future, Ingka Investments, the investment arm of the company, has invested in a 10GW offshore wind project portfolio in Ireland and UK.

“The opening of this new distribution centre not only demonstrates IKEA’s desire to become more accessible to our customers in Ireland, but also our commitment to sustainability and innovation. IKEA is committed to the Paris Agreement and to helping limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. By transitioning to zero emission deliveries and having an energy efficient distribution centre, we are playing our part in protecting the planet, and taking another significant step in our journey to becoming a climate positive business.”

Marsha SmithDeputy CEO of IKEA Ireland and UK

The launch of the logistics facility is operated by logistics firm and longstanding IKEA service provider, Wincanton.

James Wroath, CEO at Wincanton, added: “Wincanton is excited to mark this key milestone in the expansion of IKEA in Ireland, who will benefit from our unrivalled expertise and proven operational excellence in eFulfilment. The opening of this new, state-of-the-art distribution centre just outside of Dublin further strengthens a partnership focused on our shared goals of meeting IKEA’s customers’ needs quicker than ever before.”

Deliveries will be carried out by XPO Logistics, supporting IKEA on its journey to only deliver by zero-emission vehicles.

Dan Myers, Managing Director for UK and Ireland at XPO Logistics, said: “This is a huge milestone for IKEA in what is an important market for the business. The investment is a demonstration of IKEA’s confidence in Ireland. As a long term partner, we are committed to working together to create a better everyday life for many people which is also sustainable and aligned with our combined environmental commitments.”

Boom Collaboration Announce UK Distribution Deal With Westcoast

Fast-growing video conferencing manufacturer, Boom Collaboration, has appointed Westcoast as its official UK distributor to act as a catalyst for further international sales success.

Westcoast will supply the complete Boom Collaboration range, including 4K PTZ conferencing cameras, video bars, personal devices and audio speakers – to more than 5,000 active resellers across the country and beyond.

Boom Collaboration was formed in 2020 by founders Fredrik Hörnkvist and Holli Hulett, in a bid to disrupt the sector and stand out from the crowd – creating high performance, high value advanced products.

The ambitious Texas-based business has quickly developed an extensive conferencing portfolio and operates in 30 countries, with plans to extend to 20 more, having added 12 new markets already this year. Its operation is underpinned by the creation of four logistics centres covering all corners of the globe.

Sustained success

“Westcoast provides us with the perfect platform to officially launch the brand into the UK and open the door to sustained sales success – for all parties and most importantly their resellers. We want to offer something a little different both in terms of our products and how we do business. We are not another ‘me-too’ brand,” Hörnkvist highlights.

The Boom UNO vertical video bar, MAGNA 4K PTZ camera and GEMINI expandable audio innovation are some of the many devices available through Westcoast, along with the GOJO multi-camera controller.

“Boom Collaboration might be a relatively new conferencing name but the company has quickly built an impressive reputation and a very comprehensive product portfolio, which covers everything from personal workspaces to huddle rooms and large boardrooms,” says Westcoast’s UC Business Manager, Sam Armstrong.

He added: “There’s lots of innovation too such as intelligent video bars, expandable wireless audio and even a user friendly multi-camera controller to facilitate live events.

“Boom Collaboration can offer our resellers something different and it is a very welcome addition to our high calibre UC collaboration division across the UK and also France and Germany. We are confident this new partnership will be a big success.”

Boom’s co-founder Hulett agrees with the importance of building long term relationships. “We are young and fresh with new ideas, backed by years of personal experience that already makes us experts in this field. We are not afraid to stand out, be bold, brave and loud and do things a little differently. A disrupter to take on the field.” 

Industry powerhouse

She continues: “It’s about offering the highest levels of support to resellers through the distribution channel and going the extra mile with Westcoast. We don’t want to just stay in the middle lane. 

“We recognise resellers have the relationship with customers. Together we can help them transition to the new world we live in. They can lean on us. We are happy to help.”

Hörnkvist concludes: “Our vision is based on creating better meetings. Simply. We offer future proof solutions with solid components and technology to stand the test of time. We cover all user and room size environments.

“Equally we want to show personality, fun and passion. We are young with lots of ambition to grow. Joining forces with a huge industry powerhouse like Westcoast will add further fuel to the fire and enable us to penetrate deep into the UK and wider international markets. This is a major step forward in our growth strategy. Boom is beginning to boom.”

The Derry Group launches new employee engagement and communications app @_ThriveApp

The Derry Group, a one stop shop for the distribution, storage and order picking of chilled and frozen products has today announced the launch of its new employee engagement app, Thrive.App.

Their flagship company Derry Refrigerated Transport is a leading service provider for chilled and frozen distribution throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. Derry Refrigerated Transport is the first haulage company in Ireland to sign up to the newest self-service, rapid deployment Thrive.App which brings together the key features needed for businesses to power up their internal communications for their frontline teams.

With hundreds of employees working across multiple locations in Ireland, communication, organisational engagement and information sharing is essential for the growing business.

In order to meet the additional challenges presented by the current global pandemic and the fact that the company works out of various locations throughout the country The Derry Group recognises the need to look at new ways in which all employees can more effectively communicate and share information with each other.

Commenting on the deployment of the new Thrive.App, Patrick Derry, Managing Director, said,

“We have worked hard to build and transform our business to what it is today, and our employees are key to our success. It is important to us that we give them everything they need to carry out their roles successfully as well as feeling supported and recognised for what they do. With the Thrive.App our employees can now easily access the information they need to support them in their role, they see important updates as they occur, and they know what is happening across all areas of the business.

The launch of Thrive.App will bring everyone closer together, which is particularly important during the current challenges of Covid19 and the fact that we have teams in various parts of the country.

The Thrive team have provided the best support and guidance in helping us to launch the employee app and we are confident they will continue to support us to make it a success across our organisation.”

James Scott, CEO, Co-Founder of Thrive, adds; “We are delighted to help and welcome The Derry Group as a new client and look forward to working together to ensure their employee communications and engagement app is a success and loved by their teams within the Group structure whether based in Armagh, Dublin or Cork. 

Our goal is to help organisations in shifting their communications from traditional methods such as printed newsletters, notice boards and team briefings to instant, modern apps and we have loved helping The Derry Group do this. We look forward to seeing the direct positive impact the app will have on their employee communications and engagement.”