Two leading figures in the world of iGaming have come together to present a new product they believe will be the future of online casinos. Gustaf Hagman and Jonas Delin have partnered to launch Avanti Studios, a modern development house that will make use of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to create new casino gaming experiences.
It represents the latest step in which AI has entered the world of casino gaming, with operators and developers throughout the industry attempting to harness the world’s newest en vogue technology. This latest venture looks set to overhaul the live casino experience, with the potential to deliver AI-hosted game shows.
Digital Clones Set to Become the Face of the Online Casino
The pair come with a wealth of experience in the online casino space. Hagman, in particular, is the founder of LeoVegas, a popular online casino in Canada, as well as in other markets in Europe. Live casino is a key element of the brand’s popularity, with hundreds of live-streamed games hosted on its site.
This new studio aims to improve the experience of live casino titles – games in which a real-life dealer presents casino games, such as roulette and blackjack – by using AI to create digital doubles of presenters. This will allow other studios and casino brands to provide live games without the need for expansive studio space with expensive equipment.
The studio will capture the behaviours of real dealers using motion capture technology, which has come a long way from its nascent state that wowed moviegoing audiences in the early 2000s. Mannerisms and movements will be recorded and used as the basis for realistic digital 3D models, which will now be the faces of these games.
A Predicted 2026 Launch for Digital Double Dealer Tech
The first quarter of 2026 is rapidly approaching its end, but reports in January suggested that Avanti Studios expected to deliver its first games to partner brands in Q1. So far, they have signed a marketing and distribution deal with Light & Wonder, a Nevada-based provider of casino games.
So far, it does not appear that any games have gone live with operators. With a significant deal signed with a key partner, it is only a matter of time before players can experience the next generation of live casino technology. It marks a key step forward for the sector, which Delan described as being “slow to embrace innovation”.
Further, according to the founder of Authentic Gaming, the deal signed with Light & Wonder will see the technology introduced to specific markets first. Spain and Brazil appear to be the first two markets named, with his comments upon the deal’s signing suggesting that more markets will quickly follow, depending on the success of the early roll-out.
Casino Gaming Catching Up with Video Game Counterparts
The introduction of motion capture-recorded behaviour mapped onto AI-driven characters may be new by the live casino’s standards, but it is par for the course now in the video gaming world, and may offer an insight into some potential hurdles Avanti Studios could face. What’s more, these issues are more than just technical, with the ethics of such tech under increasing scrutiny.
In particular, it has been a concern for the actors used to capture data for digital doubles. In 2024, video game actors went on strike in the US, citing fears that AI technology would be used to replace them once enough data had been recorded. It presents an ethical conundrum for those involved in creating digital doubles.
With Avanti Studios’ games yet to experience wide release, it is yet to be seen whether this spells the end for the traditional live dealer games, which could also mean the end of hundreds – if not thousands – of jobs for croupiers and dealers. If it is successfully implemented in the Brazilian and Spanish markets, it seems like only a matter of time before AI-led casino titles become an industry norm.
