Reference
iGaming glossary
The vocabulary an operator meets when launching an online casino — what each term means, and why it matters commercially rather than only what it stands for.
Revenue and metrics
- GGRGross Gaming RevenueGGR is the total amount players bet minus the total they win, before any costs are deducted. It is the headline measure of how much a casino's games earned.
- Hold percentageHold is the share of everything wagered that the casino keeps, expressed as a percentage of total bets. It is the operator-side mirror of RTP.
- NGRNet Gaming RevenueNGR is GGR minus costs attributed to the gaming activity — typically bonuses, and depending on the contract also payment fees, affiliate payouts and gaming taxes.
Bonuses and retention
- Bonus abuseBonus abuse is extracting value from promotions in ways the operator did not intend — multi-accounting, low-risk betting patterns that clear wagering cheaply, or coordinated group claiming.
- CashbackCashback returns a share of a player's net losses over a defined period, typically weekly or monthly, either as cash or as bonus funds.
- Free spinsFree spins are a promotion giving the player a number of slot spins at a fixed stake, with winnings usually subject to a wagering requirement.
- RakebackRakeback returns a percentage of a player's wagering to them as a standing reward, paid regardless of whether they won or lost.
- VIP programmeA VIP programme is a tiered loyalty structure where players unlock better terms — higher rakeback, faster withdrawals, personal managers — as their activity increases.
- Wagering requirementA wagering requirement is how many times a bonus must be bet before winnings from it can be withdrawn. A $100 bonus at 30x requires $3,000 of wagering.
Compliance and licensing
- AMLAnti-Money LaunderingAML is the set of controls preventing a casino from being used to launder money: monitoring transactions, checking source of funds, and reporting suspicious activity to the regulator.
- ChargebackA chargeback is a payment reversal initiated by a player through their bank or card issuer, returning the deposit and usually charging the operator a fee on top.
- Gambling licenceA gambling licence is the regulatory authorisation to offer real-money games in a given jurisdiction. Without one, payment providers and game studios will not work with an operator.
- KYCKnow Your CustomerKYC is verifying a player's identity, age and place of residence, using documents and data checks, before they can transact freely.
- Responsible gamblingResponsible gambling is the set of tools and obligations designed to limit harm: deposit and loss limits, session reminders, reality checks, self-exclusion and intervention when play indicates a problem.
- Self-exclusionSelf-exclusion lets a player block their own access to a casino for a fixed period or permanently, and the operator must make the block effective immediately and irreversible for its duration.
Platform and payments
- AI copilotAn AI copilot in a casino back office is an assistant built into the admin panel that helps staff use it — explaining sections and settings, and drafting or translating text — while the actions themselves stay with people.
- Back officeThe back office, or admin panel, is where an operator runs the casino: player accounts, payment approvals, bonus configuration, reporting, analytics and staff permissions.
- Game aggregatorA game aggregator supplies games from many studios through a single integration, so an operator connects once instead of contracting and integrating with each provider separately.
- PSPPayment Service ProviderA PSP connects a casino to payment methods — cards, bank transfers, e-wallets or crypto — handling the transaction flow between the player and the operator's accounts.
- Seamless walletA seamless wallet keeps the player's balance in one place and has games debit and credit it in real time through an API, rather than moving funds into each game.
- Turnkey casinoA turnkey casino is a ready-built casino platform handed to an operator who runs the business in their own name: their own gambling licence, their own payment contracts and more control over the technology than a white label gives.
- White label casinoA white label casino is an online casino operated under your own brand on a provider's platform, where the software, game catalogue, payment integrations and back office come ready-made.
Games
- Crash gameA crash game shows a rising multiplier that stops at a random point; players cash out before it stops or lose the stake. Aviator is the best-known example.
- Live casinoLive casino is real-time play against a human dealer streamed from a studio, with bets placed through the interface. It covers roulette, blackjack, baccarat and game-show formats.
- Max winMax win is the largest payout a game can produce, expressed as a multiple of the stake — a 10,000x cap means a $1 bet can return at most $10,000.
- Provably fairProvably fair is a cryptographic method letting a player verify that a game result was not altered after their bet. It is used mainly in crypto casinos and in-house games.
- RNGRandom Number GeneratorAn RNG is the algorithm that determines game outcomes. In regulated markets it must be certified by an independent testing laboratory before the game can be offered.
- RTPReturn to PlayerRTP is the percentage of all money staked on a game that it pays back to players over the long run. A slot with 96% RTP returns 96 cents per dollar wagered across millions of spins.
- VolatilityVolatility describes how a game distributes its payouts: high-volatility games pay rarely and large, low-volatility games pay often and small. It is independent of RTP.
Traffic and acquisition
- ChurnChurn is the rate at which players stop playing. In iGaming it is usually defined by inactivity over a window — no bet in 30 or 90 days — rather than by an explicit closure.
- CPACost Per AcquisitionCPA is a fixed payment to an affiliate or traffic source for each qualifying player, usually one who makes a first deposit above a minimum amount.
- FTDFirst Time DepositorAn FTD is a player making their first deposit. It is the standard conversion milestone in iGaming acquisition and the usual trigger for affiliate payment.
- LTVLifetime ValueLTV is the total revenue a player generates over their entire relationship with the casino. It is the figure acquisition spend has to be justified against.
- Revenue shareRevenue share is a commercial model where one party earns an ongoing percentage of what a casino generates, rather than a fixed fee. It is used both for affiliates and for platform providers.