This iGaming glossary defines the words operators actually meet when they compare providers, sign a contract or open a market. Every entry is written for the business side of the desk: what the term means, and which number or decision it moves. Definitions are short, neutral and correct, so you can settle a point in a meeting without opening a whitepaper.
It is also here for everyone around the operator. Analysts, affiliates, payment and compliance teams all borrow the same vocabulary, and most of it is borrowed badly. An iGaming glossary earns its place by being right, not by being long. Where a term touches something we build, the entry links onward; where it does not, it just tells you what the word means.
How this iGaming glossary is organised
Two ways in. The A to Z bar jumps to a letter when you know the word. The category sections group terms the way an operator thinks: money first, then the two verticals, then payments, compliance and the stack underneath.
This iGaming glossary covers six areas and 65 terms, each defined here in a line you can read at a glance. The terms operators actually get asked to justify in a board paper carry their own page, with a worked example where the maths matters and the related terms you need next. Terms marked ★ are the most searched.
A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z
Business and economics
The revenue vocabulary: how operators, investors and providers argue about whether a brand is working.
- ARPU Average revenue per user, usually net revenue divided by active players.
- Bonus cost Granted bonus value that converts into real balance, deducted from GGR.
- CAC ★ Acquisition spend divided by the new depositing players it produced.
- Churn ★ Share of previously active players who stop playing in a period.
- CPA A model paying an affiliate a fixed fee per qualifying new player.
- FTD First time deposit: the moment a registration becomes a paying player.
- GGR ★ Gross gaming revenue: stakes minus player winnings, before bonus, fees and tax.
- LTV ★ Lifetime value: net revenue a player generates across their whole lifecycle.
- NGR ★ Net gaming revenue: GGR minus bonus cost, payment fees, tax and royalties.
- Revenue share Paying a partner a percentage of NGR rather than a fixed fee.
Casino
These terms decide what a game returns and what it costs you. They come up in every casino software evaluation.
- Bonus abuse ★ Exploiting promotion terms to extract value without the play the offer rewards.
- Free spins Operator funded slot rounds, normally carrying wagering conditions.
- House edge ★ The theoretical long run margin on a game, equal to 100% minus its RTP.
- Jackpot A prize paid on a rare outcome; progressive pools grow from each stake.
- Live dealer Casino games streamed in real time from a studio with a human dealer.
- Lobby The front end where players browse, search and filter the catalogue.
- Provably fair ★ Cryptography letting a player verify a round was not altered after the bet.
- RNG ★ Random number generator: the certified algorithm giving each round an unpredictable, independent outcome.
- RTP ★ Return to player: the share of stakes a game returns to players long run.
- Slot A reel based game, the largest revenue category in most online casinos.
- Table games Blackjack, roulette, baccarat and similar, in RNG or live dealer form.
- Volatility How widely results swing around RTP; high volatility means rarer, larger wins.
- Wagering requirement ★ The multiple of a bonus a player must stake before winnings become withdrawable.
Sportsbook
Sportsbook vocabulary is mostly margin arithmetic. If you are scoping sportsbook software, these are the numbers a trading team will quote back at you.
- Accumulator One bet combining several selections, where every leg must win to pay out.
- Bet builder Combining correlated selections within one event into a single price.
- Cash out ★ Settling a bet early at a price the sportsbook offers before the event ends.
- Handle ★ Total amount staked over a period, counted before any payouts.
- Hold ★ The share of handle a sportsbook actually keeps once bets are settled.
- In-play betting Betting on an event already under way, priced from a live data feed.
- Market A single betting proposition, such as full time result or total goals.
- Odds The price of a selection, decimal, fractional or American, implying a probability.
- Overround ★ The amount by which a market's implied probabilities exceed 100%: the built in margin.
- Trading Setting prices, managing liability and deciding which bets to accept.
Payments
Payments quietly decide conversion. Approval rates and payout speed move deposits more than most marketing does.
- Approval rate The share of attempted deposits a payment method successfully authorises.
- Chargeback ★ A card payment reversed by the issuing bank at the cardholder's request.
- Crypto payments Deposits and withdrawals in cryptocurrency, settled on chain or via a processor.
- Payout A withdrawal of player funds, measured by speed, cost and manual review rate.
- PSP Payment service provider: the intermediary connecting you to schemes and local methods.
- Reconciliation Matching platform transactions against processor and bank records.
- Seamless wallet ★ One shared balance across all games, stakes and wins settled in real time by API.
- Smart routing Directing each transaction to the processor most likely to approve it.
- Transfer wallet An older model moving funds into a game provider's wallet before play.
Compliance
Compliance terms are the ones that end a market entry when they are misunderstood. These are the definitions regulators use, not the marketing versions.
- Age verification Confirming a player meets the legal minimum age before they deposit or play.
- AML ★ Anti money laundering: controls detecting and preventing laundering through gambling accounts.
- Audit trail An immutable log of account, wallet and bonus events, required by most regulators.
- Gaming licence ★ Permission from a regulator to offer gambling in a given jurisdiction.
- GLI certification Independent testing of RNG, games and platform against a technical standard.
- Jurisdiction A territory with its own gambling law, regulator, tax regime and technical rules.
- KYC ★ Know your customer: identity checks confirming who a player is and that they are eligible.
- PEP A politically exposed person, subject to enhanced checks and ongoing monitoring.
- Responsible gambling Duties limiting harm: deposit limits, reality checks, timeouts and referrals.
- Sanctions screening Checking players against sanctions and watch lists at signup and after.
- Self-exclusion ★ A player requested block on their account, honoured across brands for a set period.
- Source of funds Evidence of where a player's money came from, requested above risk thresholds.
Technology
Architecture words. They describe how the parts fit together and who owns what. A game aggregator, for instance, is the difference between one integration and forty.
- API-first Every function exposed as an API, so modules can be replaced independently.
- Back office The operator facing console for players, payments, bonuses, content and reporting.
- Bonus engine The component defining, triggering and settling promotions on real time events.
- CMS The system for editing lobby content, promotions and languages without a code release.
- Gambling platform ★ The software running a casino or sportsbook: accounts, wallet, games, payments, reporting.
- Game aggregator ★ One integration delivering many studios' games through a single API and wallet.
- Game provider A studio developing and certifying games, distributed directly or via an aggregator.
- Multi-brand Running several player facing brands from one platform and one back office.
- PAM ★ Player account management: accounts, wallet, verification and responsible gambling in one system.
- Turnkey ★ A ready made casino from a provider, run under the operator's own licence and brand.
- White label ★ A branded casino running on the provider's platform and, critically, the provider's licence.
Frequently asked questions
What is an iGaming glossary?
A reference defining the commercial, technical and regulatory terms used in online gambling, written so an operator can act on them.
What is RNG?
A random number generator: the certified algorithm producing unpredictable outcomes, so every game round is independent of the last.
What is RTP?
Return to player, the percentage of all stakes a game pays back to players over a very long run of rounds.
What is the house edge in gambling?
The operator's theoretical margin on a game, calculated as 100% minus the RTP, and realised only over large volumes.
What is a gambling platform?
The software running a casino or sportsbook: player accounts, wallet, game content, payments, bonusing and reporting.
What is a gaming licence?
Authorisation from a regulator to offer gambling in a jurisdiction, carrying technical, reporting and player protection obligations.
What is the difference between GGR and NGR?
GGR is stakes minus winnings. NGR subtracts bonus cost, payment fees, tax and royalties, so it is closer to real margin.
What is a wagering requirement?
The multiple of a bonus, or bonus plus deposit, a player must stake before any winnings can be withdrawn.
Who is this glossary for?
Operators, analysts, affiliates, payment and compliance teams, and anyone who needs the vocabulary to be accurate.
How often is this iGaming glossary updated?
Terms are reviewed as regulation and market practice change, and new entries are added as the industry coins them.
Use this iGaming glossary, then use the platform
Every entry in this iGaming glossary exists because an operator had to defend the number behind it to someone holding a budget. Knowing the vocabulary is the easy half. Deciding which of these terms should be your provider's problem rather than yours is the part worth a conversation. Tell us your target markets and licence status, and our team will map the fastest compliant route to launch.