iGaming Guide
A plain-English iGaming glossary for operators and newcomers — the terms you’ll meet when launching or running an online casino, sportsbook or platform, explained without the jargon.
Business & models
iGaming
Online gambling as an industry — casino, sportsbook, poker, bingo and lottery delivered over the internet.
Operator
The company that runs the casino or betting brand players see and interact with.
Game aggregator
One integration that connects an operator to many game studios at once, instead of a separate build per provider. See our game aggregator.
Game provider / studio
The company that develops the games — slots, live tables, crash titles — that operators offer.
White-label
Launching a casino under your own brand on someone else’s platform and licence. Fast to market with less overhead — our white-label solution.
Turnkey
A ready-to-run casino where the platform, content and operations are set up for you, but you hold the licence and control.
B2B / B2C
B2B serves other businesses (operators); B2C serves end players directly. A provider like IGP is B2B.
GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue)
Total bets minus total winnings paid out — the core revenue figure before costs.
NGR (Net Gaming Revenue)
GGR after bonuses, fees and other deductions — closer to what the operator actually keeps.
Handle
The total amount wagered over a period, regardless of wins or losses.
Casino games
Slot
A reel-based game where players spin to match symbols across paylines — the biggest category in any casino.
Paylines
The patterns across the reels that pay out when matching symbols land.
Megaways
A slot mechanic where the number of symbols per reel changes each spin, creating thousands of ways to win.
Bonus buy
An option to pay an upfront amount to trigger a slot’s bonus round instantly.
Scatter & Wild
Special symbols: a wild substitutes for others to complete wins; a scatter triggers features like free spins.
Progressive jackpot
A prize pool that grows with every bet across many players until someone wins it.
Live casino
Real dealers streamed in real time — roulette, blackjack, baccarat and game shows played online.
Crash game
A fast game where a multiplier rises until it “crashes”; players cash out before it does. Aviator is the best-known.
Table games
Classic casino games like roulette, blackjack and baccarat, in RNG or live-dealer form.
Math & fairness
RTP (Return to Player)
The percentage of wagered money a game pays back over the long run — a 96% RTP returns 96 cents per dollar on average.
House edge
The casino’s built-in advantage — effectively 100% minus the RTP.
RNG (Random Number Generator)
The certified software that makes game outcomes random and fair.
Volatility / Variance
How a game pays: high volatility means rarer but bigger wins; low volatility means frequent small ones.
Hit frequency
How often a game lands any winning result.
Provably fair
A crypto-era method that lets players verify each result wasn’t tampered with, using cryptographic checks.
Platform & technology
PAM (Player Account Management)
The core system handling player accounts, balances, bonuses and history — the heart of a casino platform.
Back office
The admin dashboard where operators manage players, payments, content and reports.
API
The connection that lets systems talk to each other — how games, payments and tools plug into your platform. See our API.
Seamless wallet
One shared balance across every game and provider, so players never transfer funds between them.
Game lobby
The front-end where players browse and launch games, organised by category and provider.
Multi-currency / multi-language
Support for many currencies and languages so one platform works across markets.
Payments
PSP (Payment Service Provider)
A company that processes deposits and withdrawals between players and the operator.
Payment gateway
The layer that connects a casino to multiple payment methods and PSPs.
Fiat
Traditional government currency such as USD, EUR or BRL.
Crypto & stablecoins
Digital currencies; stablecoins (USDT, USDC) are pegged to the dollar and increasingly used for crypto casino payments.
Chargeback
A forced reversal of a payment by the player’s bank — a fraud and cost risk for operators.
Cash-out
Withdrawing winnings; also a sportsbook feature to settle a bet early.
Marketing & retention
Wagering requirement
How many times a bonus must be bet before winnings can be withdrawn.
No-deposit bonus
A small reward given without requiring a deposit, used to attract sign-ups.
Cashback
Returning a share of a player’s losses to keep them engaged.
VIP program
Tiered rewards for high-value players to boost loyalty.
Affiliate
A partner who sends players to the casino in exchange for commission.
CPA / Rev share
Affiliate payout models: a fixed fee per player (CPA) or a cut of ongoing revenue (rev share).
Churn
The rate at which players stop playing.
LTV (Lifetime Value)
The total revenue a player is expected to generate over their time with you.
Sportsbook
Sportsbook
The product for betting on sports events — pre-match and live. See our sportsbook software.
Pre-match vs in-play
Pre-match bets are placed before an event; in-play (live) betting happens during it with changing odds.
Odds
The price of a bet, reflecting probability and the payout if it wins.
Margin / Overround
The bookmaker’s built-in edge across all outcomes of a market.
Bet builder
Combining several bets from one event into a single wager.
Compliance & licensing
Licence
Authorisation from a regulator (e.g. MGA, Curacao) to offer gambling legally in a market.
KYC (Know Your Customer)
Verifying a player’s identity to prevent fraud and underage gambling.
AML (Anti-Money Laundering)
Controls that detect and stop illegal funds moving through a platform.
Responsible gambling
Tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion that protect players and meet regulatory duties.
Geolocation
Checking where a player is, so the casino only operates in permitted regions.
FAQ
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