Casino Words in Plain English

Casino games and betting come with their own vocabulary, and help screens rarely stop to explain it. This glossary collects the terms that appear most often across our guides, each in a sentence or two. Where a full article goes deeper, we link to it.

Slots and online games

Return to player (RTP)

The share of all money staked on a game that is paid back as prizes over a very long run. It describes the game as a whole, not a single session. Our RTP guide explains it in full.

Volatility

How a slot spreads its payouts: low volatility means frequent small wins, high volatility means rarer but larger ones. Also called variance.

Paytable

The screen listing what each symbol combination or hand pays. Always worth reading, because versions of the same game can differ.

Random number generator (RNG)

The software that decides each digital result independently of the one before.

Free spins

Spins awarded by a game feature or a promotion that do not cost a stake from your balance.

Wagering requirement

The amount you must stake before bonus money or winnings from it can be withdrawn. Read this before accepting any bonus.

Sweepstakes casino

A site that runs casino-style games under promotional sweepstakes rules rather than as conventional gambling, available only in certain places.

Table and card games

Ante

A compulsory opening bet placed before the cards are dealt.

Qualify

In some games the dealer's hand must reach a minimum strength before the main bets are compared.

Push

A tie in which your stake is returned with no win or loss.

Side bet

An optional extra wager alongside the main game, usually with its own paytable.

Foul

In arrangement games such as Capsa Susun, a hand set in an illegal order, which normally loses automatically.

House edge

The average share of each stake a game keeps over the long run, built into its payouts.

Betting terms

Decimal odds

A price showing the total return per unit staked, including the stake.

Implied probability

The chance suggested by a price, found by dividing 1 by the decimal odds.

Overround

The amount by which a market's implied probabilities add up to more than 100 percent; in short, the bookmaker's margin.

Cash out

An offer to settle a bet early for an amount the bookmaker sets.

Money and safer play

Bankroll

The amount set aside for play over a given period, separate from all other money.

Deposit limit

A cap on how much you can add to a gaming account in a set time, offered by licensed operators.

Cooling-off period

A short, chosen break during which an account cannot be used.

Self-exclusion

A longer, formal block on gambling with one or several operators.

Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over, and local law decides what is allowed. If a term you met is missing here, suggest it through Write to the Academy, and see Play With a Plan for our approach to limits.