Glossary
Casino glossary: 43 terms explained
Short, plain definitions of the terms in casino terms and conditions, payments, licences and provably fair games, each linked to the guide that explains it with the documented facts of the casinos we profile.
A
- ADR (alternative dispute resolution)
- An independent body that handles a dispute between a player and an operator outside court. Whether one exists, and who pays, depends on the licence. Read more: Licences
- AML (anti-money laundering)
- Rules that require regulated businesses, including licensed casinos, to detect and report suspicious money flows. They are a common reason for identity and source-of-funds checks. Read more: KYC
- Anjouan licence
- A gambling licence from the offshore issuer of Anjouan (Comoros). In our method an operator found only in the issuer’s own register counts as “listed in issuer registry”, not as a confirmed licence. Read more: Anjouan vs Curaçao
B
- Block explorer
- A public website where you can look up a blockchain transaction by its ID and see its status and confirmations. Read more: Payment not arriving
- Bonus abuse
- A clause that lets a casino void a bonus and its winnings for play it defines as abusive. The wording varies and can be broad enough to cover normal play. Read more: Account closed
- Brand vs operator
- The brand is the name on the website; the operator is the company that runs the casino and normally holds the licence. They often differ. Read more: Ownership
C
- Client seed
- In provably fair games, the value supplied by the player that is mixed with the casino’s server seed so that the casino cannot know the full input in advance. Read more: Provably fair
- Closed-loop withdrawal
- A rule that returns withdrawals to the method or coin used to deposit. Read more: Withdrawal rejected
- Confirmations
- The number of blocks added after the one containing a crypto transaction. Casinos usually credit a deposit after a set number of confirmations. Read more: Payments
- Cooling-off
- A short break from gambling that you start yourself, usually for days or weeks, during which the account cannot be used. Read more: RG tools
- Curaçao licence
- A gambling licence from the Curaçao gaming regulator. Our guide explains what its register shows and how it differs from Anjouan. Read more: Anjouan vs Curaçao
D
- Deposit limit
- A cap on how much you can deposit per day, week or month, set by you or required by the regulator. Read more: RG tools
- Dormant account fee
- A fee some casinos charge on an account that has had no activity for a set period. Read more: Dormant fees
G
- Game contribution (weighting)
- The share of each bet that counts towards a wagering requirement. It often differs by game type, for example slots versus table games. Read more: Bonus terms
H
- Hash (HMAC-SHA256)
- A one-way fingerprint of data. Many provably fair systems combine the seeds with a keyed hash such as HMAC-SHA256 to compute a result that anyone can recompute. Read more: Provably fair
- House edge
- The long-run share of all wagers a game keeps for the casino. It is the mirror image of RTP and says nothing about a single session. Read more: Provably fair
K
- KYC (know your customer)
- The identity checks a casino runs on a player, such as ID and proof of address. When they happen is set in the terms and by the licence. Read more: KYC
L
- Licence
- Permission from a gambling regulator for an operator to offer games under that regulator’s rules. What it protects depends on the regulator. Read more: Licences
- Licence register
- The regulator’s public list of licence holders, with names, status and often domains. It is the place to confirm a licence claim. Read more: Licences
M
- Maximum bet
- The largest stake allowed per bet or spin while a bonus is active. Exceeding it can void the bonus and winnings. Read more: Bonus terms
- Maximum cashout
- A cap on how much of the winnings from a bonus can be withdrawn, where the terms set one. Read more: Bonus terms
N
- Network fee
- The fee paid to the blockchain network to process a transaction. It is separate from any fee the casino charges. Read more: Payments
- No-KYC casino
- A casino that advertises few or no identity checks. The terms usually still allow checks later, so “no KYC” rarely means never. Read more: KYC
- Nonce
- A counter that rises with every bet made with the same pair of seeds, so each bet gets a different result. Read more: Provably fair
P
- Provably fair
- A design in which a game result can be recomputed by the player from values the casino committed to in advance. It proves the draw, not that the game is generous or the casino pays. Read more: Provably fair
R
- Rakeback
- A share of your wagers paid back to you, as opposed to a one-off deposit bonus. Read more: Rakeback
- Reality check
- A message that shows how long you have been playing and how much you have spent, shown at set intervals. Read more: RG tools
- Regulator
- The authority that issues and supervises gambling licences. Regulators differ in rules, enforcement and what they do for players. Read more: Licences
- Restricted country
- A country in which a casino’s own terms say it does not accept players. Absence from such a list is not confirmation that you may play. Read more: Country restrictions
- Reversed withdrawal
- A pending withdrawal that is cancelled and returned to the balance, by you or by the casino. The money can then be played again. Read more: Withdrawal rejected
- RNG (random number generator)
- Software that produces unpredictable results in conventional games. Independent labs can test an RNG; that says nothing about whether the operator is trustworthy. Read more: Provably fair
- Rollover
- Another word for a wagering requirement. Read more: Bonus terms
- RTP (return to player)
- The theoretical share of all wagers a game returns to players over the very long run. A 96 % RTP implies a 4 % house edge and predicts nothing about one session. Read more: Provably fair
S
- Self-exclusion
- A tool that blocks you from a casino for a chosen period or permanently. How long and how complete it is depends on the casino and the regulator. Read more: RG tools
- Server seed
- In provably fair games, the secret value chosen by the casino. Its hash is shown before you bet and the seed itself is revealed after rotation so you can check the results. Read more: Provably fair
- Source of funds
- Evidence of where the money you deposit comes from, which a casino may ask for under AML rules. Read more: KYC
T
- TRC-20 and ERC-20 (USDT networks)
- Two networks on which the stablecoin USDT exists: TRON and Ethereum. Fees and speed differ, and an address on one network cannot receive the other. Read more: USDT networks
- TXID (transaction ID)
- The unique identifier of a blockchain transaction. It lets you look the payment up on a block explorer. Read more: Payment not arriving
V
- Volatility
- How widely a game’s results vary around its average. Two games with the same RTP can differ greatly in volatility. Read more: Provably fair
W
- Wagering requirement
- The total amount you must bet before bonus-related winnings can be withdrawn, usually a multiple of the bonus or of deposit plus bonus. Read more: Bonus terms
- Withdrawal limit
- A cap on how much can be withdrawn per transaction, day or month, as set in the terms. Some terms pay large amounts in instalments. Read more: Withdrawal limits
- Withdrawal pending
- A waiting state: the request is queued and nobody has decided yet. It is not a refusal. Read more: Withdrawal rejected
- Withdrawal rejected
- A withdrawal stopped by the casino’s rules or review; the funds return to your balance. The casino should give a written reason. Read more: Withdrawal rejected
Definitions are general and descriptive, not legal advice. What applies to a casino is set by its own terms and licence – see all guides and how we verify.