iGaming Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the B2B iGaming terms operators run into — payments, compliance, platform tech, affiliates, and game mechanics. New terms added weekly.

42 terms

A

Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

AML is the set of laws, controls and monitoring an operator runs to stop criminal money moving through player accounts.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

ARPU is revenue divided by the number of active users over a period — the quickest way to compare how much value different player segments generate.

B

A bet builder lets players combine multiple selections from the same event into one bet — the highest-margin product in the modern sportsbook.

C

Cash out lets a bettor settle a bet before the event ends, at a value derived from live odds — always priced with a margin in the operator's favor.

A chargeback is a forced payment reversal initiated by a player's bank, returning funds and often adding a penalty fee.

Churn rate is the share of active players who stop playing over a given period - the metric that quietly decides profitability.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

CPA is the total marketing spend it takes to acquire one depositing player — a core unit-economics metric for operators.

A crash game shows a rising multiplier that can bust at any moment — players cash out before the crash or lose the stake. Aviator made the format a genre.

Customer Data Platform (CDP)

A CDP unifies player data from every system into a single real-time profile that marketing and CRM tools can act on.

D

Data Warehouse (DWH)

A DWH is a central analytical store that consolidates historical data from every operator system so you can query any question.

E

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)

EDD is the deeper level of identity and source-of-funds checking triggered when a player's risk profile crosses a defined threshold.

F

First-Time Depositor (FTD)

An FTD is a player who has made their first real-money deposit — the standard unit of acquisition that affiliate deals and marketing budgets are priced in.

G

Game Aggregator

A game aggregator connects an operator to thousands of games from many studios through a single integration.

A grey market is a jurisdiction where online gambling is neither clearly legal nor actively prohibited — operators serve it offshore at their own risk.

Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR)

GGR is the total amount players wager minus the winnings paid back to them — the operator's revenue before any costs.

H

The house edge is the built-in mathematical advantage that guarantees the operator a profit over enough bets.

I

In-Play Betting

In-play (live) betting lets players bet on an event after it has started, with odds recalculated continuously as the action unfolds.

K

Know Your Customer (KYC)

KYC is the process of verifying a player's identity, age, and source of funds to meet regulatory and anti-fraud requirements.

L

Live dealer games stream a real croupier from a studio into the casino client, with bets placed digitally on top of the video feed.

M

Mobile money is a phone-number-based payment system (M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money) that serves as the primary deposit rail in much of Africa.

Must-Drop Jackpot

A must-drop jackpot is guaranteed to pay out before a set deadline or amount — daily drops and capped pots that create urgency by design.

N

Net Gaming Revenue (NGR)

NGR is GGR minus bonuses, gaming taxes, and other direct costs — a truer picture of what an operator actually keeps.

O

The overround is the margin a bookmaker builds into its odds — the amount by which implied probabilities across all outcomes exceed 100%.

P

Platform Migration

Platform migration is moving a live gambling operation — players, wallets, game history, obligations — from one platform provider to another.

Player Account Management (PAM)

The PAM is the core system that holds player accounts, wallets, bonuses, KYC, and responsible-gaming controls.

Player Lifetime Value (LTV)

LTV is the total net revenue an operator expects from a player across their entire relationship, not just their first deposit.

Prediction Market

A prediction market lets people trade contracts on the outcome of future events, with prices reflecting the crowd's odds.

Progressive Jackpot

A progressive jackpot grows with every bet — a slice of each wager feeds a prize pool that keeps rising until one player wins it.

Progressive Web App (PWA)

A PWA is a website that behaves like a native app — installable, offline-capable, with push — without going through an app store.

Provably fair is a cryptographic method that lets players verify each game round wasn't manipulated — born in crypto casinos, now standard in crash games.

R

Random Number Generator (RNG)

An RNG is the certified software algorithm that produces unpredictable outcomes for casino games — every spin, card and crash multiplier starts here.

Remote Game Server (RGS)

An RGS is the server that runs a game's math and logic remotely — the casino frontend just renders results delivered over an API.

Responsible Gambling (RG)

Responsible gambling is the set of tools and duties operators use to keep play safe — limits, reality checks, self-exclusion, and intervention.

Return to Player (RTP)

RTP is the percentage of total wagers a game is designed to pay back to players over the long term.

Revenue share is a commission model where a partner earns an ongoing percentage of the revenue from players they refer.

Rolling Reserve

A rolling reserve is a portion of an operator's revenue a payment processor withholds to cover potential chargebacks and refunds.

S

Self-exclusion lets a player ask to be blocked from gambling for a set period, and operators must honour and enforce it.

A sub-affiliate is a partner recruited by another affiliate, who earns an override commission on the traffic their recruits send.

T

Time to Interactive (TTI)

TTI measures how long a page takes before a user can actually tap and interact reliably — a key mobile performance metric.

A turnkey casino gives the operator a complete platform to run under its own license and full control.

V

A VIP program is the structured retention scheme for an operator's highest-value players — hosts, tailored rewards and faster service, under growing regulatory scrutiny.

W

White-Label Casino

A white-label casino is a ready-made platform, run under the provider's license, that an operator brands as its own.