ICONIC21 positions AI dealers as new category between RNG and live casino
Provider ICONIC21 says conversational AI is creating a distinct product tier that sits between solitary RNG games and full live-dealer tables, rather than replacing either.
ICONIC21, a provider of live dealer and casino games, argues that artificial intelligence is opening up a new category of casino product rather than simply automating existing ones, according to reporting by iGaming Business.
Andrii Savyntsev, product owner at ICONIC21, told the outlet that random number generator games have long succeeded because they offer speed and solitude, letting players dip in and out without the social commitment of a live table. He said that design choice, once a strength, also left a gap in the market that conversational AI is now filling.
iGaming Business cited research published in June putting the global conversational AI market at $14.3bn last year, with growth projected from $17.7bn in 2026 to $78.9bn by 2033, a compound annual growth rate of 23.8% over seven years. The technology is already embedded in everyday consumer apps, from meal planning to fitness coaching.
Savyntsev said much of the industry debate over AI dealers wrongly assumes every AI-powered product is trying to replicate a human croupier as closely as possible. He said that framing ignores approaches built around disclosure rather than imitation.
ICONIC21 applied that principle to iDealer Blackjack, a seven-seat RNG blackjack title launched in May with an AI-powered dealer built in collaboration with RAVATAR, using its real-time interactive avatar technology. The dealer greets players by name, retains memory of past sessions and adapts its responses during play.
Savyntsev said the team deliberately avoided blurring the line between human and artificial. "Rather than trying to blur the line between human and artificial, we made it clear from the outset that players were interacting with an AI-powered dealer in an RNG game. Counterintuitively, that honesty became a strength," he said.
He added that making the AI identity explicit removed a layer of social friction for players, rather than the more human-like experience some assume would be preferable.
The reporting noted that this chimes with wider findings cited elsewhere, including FanDuel co-founder Nigel Eccles' view that some players find human dealers intimidating, and academic research published last month suggesting people perceive AI-generated messages as more empathetic than those written by humans.
ICONIC21 was careful to frame the product as additive rather than a substitute for live casino. Savyntsev said live casino continues to serve players seeking in-person atmosphere and the dynamics of interacting with both a dealer and other players at a table, calling that a distinct experience that an AI-powered dealer inside an RNG game does not attempt to replicate.
The company's pitch, as relayed by iGaming Business, is that iDealer Blackjack sits in a space between conventional RNG titles and live dealer tables, adding interactivity without competing directly with either format.