iGaming glossary
The vocabulary operators, regulators, and platform vendors actually use. Tight definitions, no marketing fluff. Updated as new terms become standard.
Last updated: · 47 terms across 7 categories
Operations & metrics
The numbers operator boards actually look at. Most are revenue-side; LTV/CAC are the growth-side counterparts.
- GGRGross Gaming Revenue#
- Total stakes minus winnings paid out to players, before bonus costs or operational expenses. The top-line number every casino reports first. Read more
- NGRNet Gaming Revenue#
- A revenue measure derived from GGR after specified deductions. Define the included costs, adjustments and reporting period; contracts may calculate NGR differently.
- Hold#
- The share of stakes retained over a measured period. Observed hold can differ from a game's theoretical house edge.
- RTPReturn to Player#
- The theoretical long-run proportion of stakes returned as winnings under a game's mathematical model. It is not a prediction for one session or the same as measured hold.
- LTVLifetime Value#
- Average net revenue per player over their full active lifetime with the brand. The metric that justifies acquisition spend. Read more
- CACCustomer Acquisition Cost#
- Acquisition spending divided by the number of customers acquired under a defined method. Use comparable cohorts and periods; there is no universal target ratio.
- Churn#
- The rate at which active players stop depositing. Retention CRM exists to lower this number; high churn kills LTV regardless of how strong acquisition is.
- FTDFirst-Time Deposit#
- The conversion event from registration to depositing player. The funnel step paid acquisition optimizes for.
Compliance & licensing
What operators owe regulators, KYC vendors, and players. Skipping any of this is how brands lose licenses and get processors revoked.
- KYCKnow Your Customer#
- Identity checks required for the activity and market. The timing and evidence depend on applicable rules; do not assume checks can wait until withdrawal. Read more
- AMLAnti-Money Laundering#
- Transaction-monitoring rules and reporting obligations under jurisdictional frameworks (FATF, 6AMLD, BSA). Operators flag suspicious patterns and file SARs. Read more
- PEPPolitically Exposed Person#
- A player flagged as a current or former public official, family member, or close associate. PEP status triggers enhanced due diligence under most AML regimes.
- SoWSource of Wealth#
- Information about how a person's overall wealth was accumulated. It is distinct from the source of funds used for a particular transaction.
- RNGRandom Number Generator#
- A mechanism that produces random values used by a game. Required testing, approval and review scope depend on the implementation and market.
- Provably Fair#
- A cryptographic protocol that lets players verify each game outcome was generated from a pre-committed seed they couldn't predict and the operator can't retroactively change. Common in crypto casinos. Read more
- MGAMalta Gaming Authority#
- Malta's gaming regulator. Consult its current requirements for the relevant applicant and activity; a licence does not grant universal market access. Read more
- Curaçao eGaming#
- A gaming-licensing jurisdiction. Verify the current authority, licence holder, scope and target-market restrictions directly; do not rely on historic labels or price rankings. Read more
- Anjouan#
- A gaming-licensing jurisdiction in the Comoros. Confirm current requirements and permitted markets with qualified advisers and official sources. Read more
- UKGCUK Gambling Commission#
- The regulator for gambling in Great Britain. Confirm applicable permissions and obligations; Great Britain and the entire United Kingdom are not interchangeable scopes. Read more
- Responsible Gambling#
- Policies and tools for preventing and responding to gambling harm. Confirm applicable obligations, exclusions, limits and enforcement; availability is not proof of effective protection.
Platform types
How operators acquire the technology stack. The choice between these is the single biggest cost-and-control decision before launch.
- White Label#
- White label, turnkey and custom build describe different delivery models, not universal ownership rules. Compare the contract: licence holder, data rights, exports, responsibilities, total charges and exit terms. Agree scope and readiness before comparing launch dates. Read more
- Turnkey#
- A delivery model combining platform components and implementation services. Licensing, data rights, costs and operating responsibilities depend on the contract. Read more
- iGaming Platform#
- The unified backend (PAM — Player Account Management) that runs registration, KYC, wallets, bonusing, CRM, reporting, and game integrations. The operator's core system. Read more
- Game Aggregator#
- A service connecting game content through a shared integration. Catalogue access, market availability and provider contracts still require confirmation. Read more
- PAMPlayer Account Management#
- The system of record for every player — KYC status, wallet balance, bonus history, RG flags. The PAM is the single point all other systems read from.
Game mechanics
How the games inside a casino actually work — math model, volatility, and the marketing terms that wrap them.
- Volatility#
- How frequently and how large a slot pays out. High-volatility slots pay rarely but big; low-volatility slots pay often but small. Player demographic targeting often segments by volatility preference.
- Megaways#
- Patented slot mechanic by Big Time Gaming where the number of symbols on each reel changes per spin, producing 117,649 possible ways to win. Licensed by most major studios.
- Live Dealer#
- Games presented by a human dealer through a video stream. Format alone does not establish margin or session duration.
- Bonus WageringWagering Requirement#
- Conditions specifying eligible play before a bonus-related withdrawal. Rules, limits and permitted terms vary by market and offer.
- Bonus Abuse#
- Players exploiting bonus terms via collusion, multiple accounts, or low-variance betting patterns to extract value. Detection-and-block is a core CRM responsibility.
- Cashback#
- An offer returning a specified amount or proportion under published conditions. Eligibility, restrictions and permitted terms depend on the market and offer; it must not encourage harmful play.
Sportsbook
Concepts unique to sports betting (vs. casino). Margin, market depth, and live-betting tooling are where sportsbook operators win or lose.
- Pre-match odds#
- Markets and prices set before an event starts. The largest volume of bets globally, especially on football/soccer.
- In-Play / Live Betting#
- Betting markets updated during an event. Pricing, delays and risk controls vary; the format does not guarantee a higher margin.
- Cash-out#
- An offer to settle an open bet before its normal conclusion. Availability, amount and conditions depend on the operator and market.
- Margin / Overround#
- The amount by which the sum of implied probabilities exceeds 100%. It is not the same as realized hold or a guaranteed profit.
- Bookmaker / Sportsbook Engine#
- Software supporting sports-betting prices, risk controls and settlement. Distinguish the engine from data feeds, trading services and the operator's licence.
Payments
How money moves in and out. The payment stack is often the biggest constraint on which jurisdictions a brand can operate in.
- Fiat#
- Government-issued currency (USD, EUR, BRL). Settled via card networks, e-wallets, open-banking rails. Bank acceptance varies by license tier.
- Crypto Settlement#
- Settlement using cryptoassets. Networks, fees, confirmation timing, custody and financial-crime controls must be defined; speed is not guaranteed. Read more
- Hybrid Liquidity#
- Operating both fiat and crypto rails inside the same player wallet. Adds operational complexity but unlocks the broadest player base. Read more
- Cold Storage#
- Keeping cryptographic keys offline. Security depends on key management, signing, access and recovery procedures, not the label alone.
- Reverse-withdrawal#
- A delay between a player's withdrawal request and execution during which the player can cancel and re-bet. Increasingly restricted by regulators as a player-protection issue.
Technical
Engineering vocabulary that operator CTOs and procurement teams expect to see in vendor materials.
- API-first#
- Agree the API and webhook scope for your integration. Request documentation, authentication and permissions, event examples, rate limits, versioning, retry behaviour and a test environment. Do not assume every back-office action is exposed.
- Webhook#
- An HTTP callback the platform fires when an event happens (deposit confirmed, KYC passed, big win). Lets operators wire their own systems without polling.
- SLAService Level Agreement#
- A contractual service-level agreement. Define measurement, response, support coverage, exclusions and remedies rather than assuming standard figures.
- p99 latency#
- The response-time threshold at or below which 99% of measured requests fall. State the period, population and measurement boundary.
- Geo-blocking#
- Restricting access by IP or device location to comply with jurisdictional licensing. Implementation requires both edge-CDN rules and in-application checks for VPN evasion.
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