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Glossary

Online casino glossary

The words of bonuses, payments, games and licences, explained simply: a definition, a worked example and what to check before you play.

Bonuses and terms

  • Bonus hunt

    Session in which you collect bonus rounds on several slots before opening them one by one, to compare the total with the budget.

  • Bonus validity period

    Time allowed to use a bonus and meet its wagering; once it runs out, the bonus and the winnings from it are removed.

  • Cashback

    Refund of part of your net losses over a period (day, week), paid in real money or as a bonus depending on the casino.

  • Free spins

    Slot spins given by the casino, at a fixed value per spin and on designated games; their winnings are often subject to wagering.

  • Game contribution

    Share of each bet that counts towards the wagering depending on the game: often 100% for slots, much less for table games.

  • High roller

    Player who bets large amounts; for such a player, withdrawal limits and betting limits matter more than the size of a bonus.

  • Maximum bet

    Highest bet allowed per spin while a bonus is active; exceeding it can lead to the bonus and its winnings being voided.

  • Maximum cashout

    Cap on what you can withdraw thanks to a bonus or free spins, whatever balance you reach at the end of the wagering.

  • No deposit bonus

    Small bonus or free spins given at sign-up with no prior deposit, almost always capped and subject to wagering.

  • Promo code

    Code to enter at sign-up or when making a deposit in order to get an offer; without it, some bonuses are not credited.

  • Reload bonus

    Bonus offered to existing players when they make a new deposit, usually at a lower percentage than the welcome bonus.

  • Sticky bonus

    Bonus that can never be withdrawn: only what it wins beyond its own amount becomes withdrawable, once the wagering is met.

  • Wagering requirement

    How many times a sum must be bet before bonus winnings can be withdrawn: x35 on the bonus, x30 on deposit + bonus…

  • Welcome bonus

    Offer for new sign-ups, most often a percentage of the first deposit, with or without free spins, and subject to wagering.

Payments and withdrawals

  • Blockchain network

    Chain on which a cryptocurrency circulates (Ethereum, TRON, BNB Chain…); sending on the wrong network can lose the funds.

  • Destination tag or memo

    Extra code required for some cryptocurrencies (XRP, Stellar…) so the right account is credited when the address is shared.

  • E-wallet

    Online payment account (Skrill, Neteller, MiFinity…) that acts as an intermediary between your bank and the casino.

  • KYC (identity verification)

    Check of the player’s identity and address, required by regulation and usually carried out before the first withdrawal.

  • Minimum deposit

    Smallest amount accepted to fund your account; the welcome bonus may require a higher deposit than this minimum.

  • Prepaid card

    Voucher or code card (Paysafecard, Neosurf, Flexepin…) bought in a shop or online to pay without a bank account.

  • Stablecoin

    Cryptocurrency designed to track the value of a conventional currency, most often the US dollar (such as USDT and USDC).

  • Withdrawal limit

    Maximum amount you can withdraw per day, per week or per month; beyond it, the payout is spread over several periods.

  • Withdrawal time

    Time stated by the casino to process a withdrawal request, not counting bank time or the payment method’s network time.

Games and odds

  • Basic strategy (blackjack)

    Chart that shows, for each hand and each dealer card, the decision that loses the least on average at blackjack.

  • Bonus buy

    Option on some slots that lets you pay, often a high multiple of the bet, to trigger the bonus rounds directly.

  • Crash game

    Game where a multiplier climbs until a random crash point: you must cash out before it to win your multiplied bet.

  • Expected value

    Average result of a bet if it were repeated a very large number of times; it is negative for almost every casino game.

  • Hit frequency

    Proportion of spins that pay something, even less than the stake: a 25% frequency means one winning spin in four.

  • House edge

    Share of each bet the casino keeps on average, i.e. 100% minus the RTP; it varies widely with the game and the bet chosen.

  • Live casino

    Table games hosted by real dealers filmed in a studio and streamed on video: roulette, blackjack, baccarat, game shows.

  • Max win

    Highest possible win on a slot, expressed as a number of times the bet (5,000x, 10,000x); it is extremely rare.

  • Multiplier

    Factor applied to the bet or the win: x2 doubles the bet. It is found in crash games, Plinko, Mines and slot machines.

  • Paytable

    List of what each combination in a game pays; with the same rules, it is what sets the RTP of a slot or a video poker game.

  • Progressive jackpot

    Big prize that grows with every bet placed on a game, sometimes across several casinos at once, until a player wins it.

  • Provably fair

    System that lets you check for yourself, using cryptographic hashes, that a result was not altered after the bet was placed.

  • RNG (random number generator)

    Algorithm that draws the result of every round of online games; it must be unpredictable and tested by an independent laboratory.

  • RTP (return to player)

    Average share of stakes paid back to players over a very large number of games: a 96% RTP keeps 4% of stakes on average.

  • Volatility

    How a slot machine spreads its winnings: small and frequent wins (low volatility) or rare and large ones (high volatility).

Licences and responsible gambling

  • Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

    Recourse to an independent body when a complaint to the casino does not get resolved, without having to go to court.

  • Deposit limit

    Maximum amount you allow yourself to deposit per day, per week or per month; a decrease usually applies straight away.

  • Gambling licence

    Authorisation issued by a regulator (Curaçao, Anjouan, Kahnawake…) that governs a casino’s activity and players’ recourse.

  • Operator

    Company that operates an online casino and holds its licence; a single operator sometimes runs several casinos.

  • Reality check

    Message shown at regular intervals to remind you how long you have played and what you have won or lost during the session.

  • Self-exclusion

    Voluntary closure of your account for a chosen period, from a few months to several years, so that you can no longer play.

  • Sister casinos

    Casinos run by the same operator, often with the same platform, the same terms and conditions and the same customer service.

How to read this glossary

Every term has its own page: a definition, a worked example and the points to check before you play. Some also show a figure drawn from the data in our comparison, updated along with the casino reviews.

The examples are illustrative calculations: they show how a rule works, not what a casino offers. For the terms of a specific offer, see the casino’s review, where every data point is linked to its source.

Play responsibly

Understanding the rules helps you avoid nasty surprises; it does not help you win: every game keeps an edge for the house. If gambling is no longer fun, see the responsible gambling page: it lists helplines for each country.

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