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Gambling Dictionary

Clear, independent definitions of the terms that shape online casino, sports betting, iGaming business, regulation and payments.

A

  • Accumulator

    An accumulator is a single bet combining several selections, where all must win for a return.…

  • Affiliate Marketing

    Affiliate marketing is a performance-based channel in which independent publishers, known as affiliates, promote gambling operators…

  • Affordability Checks

    Affordability checks are assessments operators may carry out to gauge whether a customer can sustain their…

  • American Odds

    American odds, also called moneyline odds, use positive and negative numbers based on a 100-unit reference.…

  • Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

    Anti-Money Laundering (AML) describes the controls, policies and reporting designed to stop gambling services being used…

  • API Integration

    API integration is the process of connecting two software systems so they can exchange data and…

  • Arbitrage Betting

    Arbitrage betting involves placing bets on all possible outcomes of an event across different operators, exploiting…

B

  • B2B Gaming

    B2B gaming refers to companies that supply products and services to other gambling businesses rather than…

  • B2C Gaming

    B2C gaming refers to operators that offer gambling products directly to the public. These consumer-facing businesses…

  • Baccarat

    Baccarat is a comparing card game in which players bet on one of two hands, the…

  • Bankroll Management

    Bankroll management is the practice of controlling how much of a dedicated gambling fund is risked…

  • Betting Margin

    The betting margin is the commission a bookmaker builds into its odds, ensuring the implied probabilities…

  • Blackjack

    Blackjack is a comparing card game in which players aim to beat the dealer by holding…

  • Bonus Buy

    A bonus buy is a slot feature that lets a player pay an upfront amount to…

  • Bonus Expiry

    Bonus expiry is the time limit within which a promotional offer must be claimed, used or…

  • Bonus Terms

    Bonus terms are the conditions attached to a promotional offer that govern how it can be…

C

  • Cash Out

    Cash out is a feature that lets a bettor settle an open bet before the event…

  • Chargeback

    A chargeback is a forced reversal of a card payment, initiated by the cardholder's bank rather…

  • Closing Line Value

    Closing line value measures how a bettor's odds compare with the final odds available just before…

  • Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

    Cost Per Acquisition is a commission model in which an affiliate receives a fixed, one-off payment…

  • Crash Game

    A crash game is an online gambling format built around a rising multiplier that can crash…

  • Cryptocurrency Gambling

    Cryptocurrency gambling refers to online betting and casino play where deposits, wagers or withdrawals are handled…

  • Customer Acquisition Cost

    Customer Acquisition Cost is the average amount an operator spends to gain one new paying player.…

D

  • Decimal Odds

    Decimal odds express the total return per unit staked, including the stake itself. A price of…

E

  • E-Wallet

    An e-wallet is a digital account that stores payment details and funds, letting users send and…

  • Encryption

    Encryption is the process of converting data into an unreadable form that can only be decoded…

  • Esports Betting

    Esports betting is wagering on the outcomes of competitive video gaming, such as professional tournaments and…

  • Expected Value

    Expected value is the average result of a bet if it were repeated many times, weighting…

F

  • Fractional Odds

    Fractional odds express profit relative to stake as a fraction, such as 5/1 or 6/4. The…

  • Fraud Detection

    Fraud detection is the set of systems and processes operators use to identify and prevent dishonest…

  • Free Bet

    A free bet is a promotional token that lets a customer place a sports wager without…

  • Free Spins

    Free spins allow a player to spin a slot's reels without deducting their own balance, while…

G

  • Gambling Licence

    A gambling licence is formal authorisation granted by a regulatory authority permitting an operator or supplier…

  • Game Aggregator

    A game aggregator is a business-to-business service that connects online casino operators to many game studios…

  • Gamification

    Gamification is the use of game-like features, such as levels, missions, challenges, badges and leaderboards, layered…

  • Gaming Commission

    A gaming commission is a public body responsible for regulating gambling within a jurisdiction. Typical functions…

  • Gaming Platform

    A gaming platform is the core software that runs an online gambling operation, managing player accounts,…

  • Gaming Revenue Tax

    Gaming revenue tax is a tax that governments levy on gambling operators, commonly calculated as a…

  • Geolocation Technology

    Geolocation technology determines where a player is physically located when they access a gambling service, so…

  • Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR)

    Gross Gaming Revenue is the amount an operator retains from players' wagers after paying out winnings,…

H

  • Hold Percentage

    Hold percentage is the share of total amount wagered that a betting operator keeps as revenue…

  • House Edge

    The house edge is the built-in mathematical advantage an operator holds on a given game, expressed…

  • Hybrid Commission

    Hybrid commission is an affiliate payment model that combines a one-off cost-per-acquisition payment with an ongoing…

I

  • Implied Probability

    Implied probability is the likelihood of an outcome as expressed by its betting odds, converted into…

  • In-Play Betting

    In-play betting, also called live betting, lets bettors place wagers while an event is under way.…

  • Instant Win Game

    An instant win game delivers an immediate result from a single action, such as revealing symbols…

K

  • Know Your Customer (KYC)

    Know Your Customer (KYC) refers to the processes gambling operators use to confirm a customer's identity…

L

  • Live Dealer Casino

    A live dealer casino offers online casino games run by real human dealers, streamed in real…

  • Loyalty Programme

    A loyalty programme rewards customers for continued play, usually by awarding points as they wager that…

M

  • Market Share

    Market share is the portion of a defined market that a particular company or product holds,…

  • Maximum Bet Rule

    A maximum bet rule caps the stake a player may place on a single wager while…

  • Megaways

    Megaways is a licensed slot game mechanic in which the number of symbols on each reel…

  • Mergers and Acquisitions

    Mergers and acquisitions, often shortened to M&A, are transactions in which companies combine or one company…

  • Mobile Gambling

    Mobile gambling is the use of smartphones and tablets to place bets or play casino games,…

  • Moneyline

    A moneyline bet is a wager on which competitor or team will win an event outright,…

N

  • Net Gaming Revenue (NGR)

    Net Gaming Revenue is what remains after an operator deducts gambling-specific costs from its Gross Gaming…

  • No-Deposit Bonus

    A no-deposit bonus is a reward granted without requiring the customer to fund their account first,…

O

  • Omnichannel Gaming

    Omnichannel gaming is an operator strategy that integrates a player's experience across multiple channels, such as…

  • Open Banking

    Open banking is a framework that lets authorised third parties access bank account data or initiate…

  • Over/Under (Totals)

    An over/under, or totals, bet concerns the combined score, goals, points or other countable events in…

  • Overround

    Overround is the amount by which the implied probabilities of all outcomes in a betting market…

P

  • Parlay

    A parlay combines two or more selections into a single bet, where every leg must win…

  • Payline

    A payline is a defined pattern of positions across a slot's reels along which matching symbols…

  • Payment Gateway

    A payment gateway is the technology that securely transmits transaction details between a customer, a merchant…

  • Payment Processing

    Payment processing is the end-to-end handling of a transaction, from the moment a player initiates a…

  • Payment Reconciliation

    Payment reconciliation is the process of matching an operator's own transaction records against statements from banks,…

  • Payment Service Provider

    A payment service provider (PSP) is a company that enables merchants to accept and process payments…

  • PCI DSS

    PCI DSS is a set of security standards created by the major card networks to protect…

  • Player Lifetime Value

    Player Lifetime Value is the total net revenue an operator expects a player to generate across…

  • Player Verification

    Player verification is the process of confirming that a customer is who they claim to be…

  • Point Spread

    A point spread is a handicap applied to level an uneven contest. The favourite must win…

  • Positive EV Betting

    Positive EV betting is a strategy of placing only wagers whose expected value is greater than…

  • Prediction Markets

    Prediction markets are exchanges where participants trade contracts whose payout depends on the outcome of a…

  • Progressive Jackpot

    A progressive jackpot is a prize that grows over time as a small portion of each…

R

  • Random Number Generator (RNG)

    A Random Number Generator is the software component that produces the unpredictable numerical outcomes behind digital…

  • Regulatory Compliance

    Regulatory compliance is the ongoing practice of ensuring a gambling business meets the laws, licence conditions…

  • Remote Gaming Server

    A remote gaming server is the system that hosts and executes online casino game logic on…

  • Responsible Gambling

    Responsible gambling is the principle and set of practices aimed at keeping play safe, informed and…

  • Return to Player (RTP)

    Return to Player is the percentage of total staked money a game is designed to pay…

  • Revenue Share

    Revenue share is an affiliate commission model in which a partner earns an agreed percentage of…

  • RNG Certification

    RNG certification is the independent testing and approval of a random number generator used in gambling…

  • Roulette

    Roulette is a casino game in which a ball is spun around a wheel divided into…

S

  • Scatter Symbol

    A scatter symbol is a special slot symbol that pays or triggers features based on how…

  • Self-Exclusion

    Self-exclusion is a responsible-gambling tool that lets a person voluntarily bar themselves from gambling with one…

  • Slot Machine

    A slot machine is a gambling device that spins reels of symbols and pays out when…

  • Social Casino

    A social casino is a platform offering casino-style games, such as slots and table games, played…

  • Source of Funds

    Source of funds refers to establishing where the money a customer uses to gamble actually comes…

  • Sweepstakes Casino

    A sweepstakes casino offers casino-style games using a dual-currency model rather than direct cash wagering. Players…

T

  • Turnkey Casino

    A turnkey casino is a more complete, customisable online casino solution in which a provider supplies…

  • Two-Factor Authentication

    Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second verification step to a password, requiring something the user has…

V

  • Variance

    Variance describes how much actual betting or gambling results deviate from their expected average over time.…

  • Video Poker

    Video poker is a casino game played on a screen, based on five-card draw poker. The…

  • Video Slot

    A video slot is a digital slot game that displays reels on a screen rather than…

  • VIP Programme

    A VIP programme is a tier of enhanced service aimed at high-value or high-frequency customers, often…

  • Volatility

    Volatility describes how much a game's results swing around its long-run average. High-volatility games pay larger…

W

  • Wagering Requirement

    A wagering requirement is a condition attached to a bonus that specifies how many times the…

  • Welcome Bonus

    A welcome bonus is a promotional reward offered to new customers when they register and usually…

  • White-Label Casino

    A white-label casino is an online gambling brand built on another company's ready-made platform and, often,…

  • Wild Symbol

    A wild symbol is a special slot symbol that substitutes for other standard symbols to help…

  • Withdrawal Limit

    A withdrawal limit is a cap on how much a player can take out of a…