The iGaming industry has two vocabularies. Operators talk about wallets, callbacks and revenue share; players talk about free spins, wagering and cash out. This glossary puts both in one place. Terms are grouped by theme and listed alphabetically inside each group.
Platforms, APIs and integration
Aggregator. A company that connects many game studios behind a single API. An operator integrates once and gets access to the studios the aggregator carries.
API (application programming interface). The set of requests one system uses to talk to another. In casino integration, the API covers game lists, game launches and money movements.
API keys. Credentials that identify an operator when it calls a provider’s API. How quickly keys are issued is a practical measure of how fast an operator can start building.
Back office. The admin interface where an operator manages players, games, bonuses, payments and reports.
Callback. A request sent by the game provider to the operator’s server, usually to debit a bet or credit a win. A seamless wallet relies on callbacks for every round.
Game launch URL. The address returned by a provider that opens a specific game for a specific player session, typically inside an iframe in the casino lobby.
Game list (catalogue feed). The data an aggregator sends about its games: names, studios, categories, images and supported currencies.
Idempotency. The property that sending the same transaction twice has the same effect as sending it once. It protects balances when a network retry repeats a callback.
Lobby. The page or screen where a casino displays its games, usually with categories, search and filters by studio.
PAM (player account management). The part of a casino platform that holds player accounts, balances, transaction history and limits set by the operator.
Rollback. A callback that cancels an earlier debit, for example when a round could not be completed.
Sandbox. A test environment with test balances, used to build and check an integration before going live.
Seamless wallet. A wallet model where the player’s balance stays on the operator’s platform and the provider debits and credits it in real time through callbacks.
Self-service sign-up. An onboarding flow where an operator creates its account and gets API access without a sales call.
Session token. A temporary credential that ties a game session to a player, so the provider knows whose balance a callback refers to.
Transfer wallet. A wallet model where funds are moved from the operator’s balance into a separate balance at the provider before play, then moved back.
Turnkey platform. A complete casino product, including PAM, cashier, back office and game content, which an operator runs under its own brand and settings.
White label. A ready-made casino or sportsbook run on someone else’s platform and branded for the operator. It is quicker to launch than a turnkey build, with less control over the product.
Business terms
Affiliate. A website or marketer that sends players to a casino in exchange for a commission.
CPA (cost per acquisition). A one-off payment to an affiliate for each player who meets agreed conditions, such as a first deposit.
GGR (gross gaming revenue). Total stakes minus total winnings paid out, before bonuses and costs.
Hybrid deal. An affiliate agreement that combines a CPA payment with a revenue share.
NGR (net gaming revenue). GGR after deductions agreed in the contract, often bonuses and payment fees.
Operator. The company that runs a casino or sportsbook and holds the player relationship.
Revenue share. A commercial model where a provider or affiliate receives a percentage of GGR or NGR instead of a fixed fee.
Setup fee. A one-time charge some providers make to open an integration. Some aggregators charge none.
Casino games and mechanics
Bonus buy (feature buy). An option in some slots to pay a fixed multiple of the stake to go straight to the bonus round.
Cascades (tumbling reels). After a win, winning symbols disappear and new ones fall into place, which can create further wins in the same paid round.
Cluster pays. A slot format where wins come from groups of matching symbols touching each other, rather than from lines across the reels.
Coin pusher. An arcade format adapted to online play, where dropped coins push others off a moving ledge and what falls pays out.
Crash game. A round-based game where a multiplier climbs until the round ends at a random point. Players cash out before the end to lock in the multiplier.
Fishing game. An arcade-style game where the player shoots or catches targets, each with its own value. Popular in Asian markets and increasingly in slot form.
Free spins. Spins played without staking the player’s own money, either as a bonus feature inside a game or as a casino promotion.
Hit frequency. How often a game produces a win of any size, usually given as a share of rounds.
Hold & Win. A bonus format where special symbols lock in place and the player gets a set number of respins, reset each time a new symbol lands.
Instant game. A short-format game that settles in seconds, such as crash, plinko, mines or dice.
Jackpot (fixed or progressive). A top prize. A fixed jackpot pays a set amount; a progressive jackpot grows with each bet until it is won.
Live casino. Table games and game shows streamed from a studio with a real dealer or host.
Multiplier. A factor applied to a win, such as ×2 or ×10.
Paylines. The fixed paths across the reels on which matching symbols must land to win.
Plinko. A game where a ball drops through rows of pegs into pockets with different multipliers.
Provably fair. A method, common in crypto games, that lets a player check with a cryptographic hash that a round’s result was set before the bet and not changed afterwards.
RNG (random number generator). The software that produces the unpredictable outcomes of digital casino games.
Scatter. A symbol that pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, not only on a payline.
Volatility. How a game’s wins are distributed: low-volatility games pay small amounts often, high-volatility games pay larger amounts less often.
Ways to win. A format where matching symbols on adjacent reels win in any row position, instead of on fixed lines. Some games offer hundreds of thousands of ways.
Wild. A symbol that substitutes for others to complete a win.
Sportsbook and esports
Accumulator (acca, parlay). One bet combining several selections; all must win for the bet to pay.
Bet builder. A tool for combining several markets from the same match into a single bet.
Cash out. A sportsbook option that settles a bet before the event ends, at a value set by the current odds.
Esports betting. Betting on competitive video games such as Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends and Dota 2.
In-play (live betting). Betting on an event while it is happening, with odds that change during play.
Margin (overround). The bookmaker’s built-in edge, visible when the implied probabilities of all outcomes in a market add up to more than 100%.
Market suspension. Temporarily closing a live market, for example after a goal or a dangerous attack, while odds are recalculated.
Odds feed. The data stream that delivers events, markets and prices to a sportsbook.
Pre-match. Markets offered before an event starts.
Player accounts, bonuses and payments
Bonus balance. Funds credited by a promotion and kept apart from the player’s cash balance until the bonus terms are met.
Cashier. The deposit and withdrawal page of a casino.
Crypto casino. A casino that accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether or USDT for deposits and withdrawals.
Deposit bonus. A promotion that adds a percentage of a deposit as bonus funds, such as 100% of a first deposit.
Multi-currency. Support for several currencies in the same casino or game catalogue, so a player can play in their own currency.
No-deposit bonus. A small bonus credited without a deposit, usually on sign-up with a promo code.
Promo code (bonus code). A word entered at sign-up or deposit to claim a specific offer.
PWA (progressive web app). A website that installs on a phone’s home screen and behaves like an app, without going through an app store.
Stablecoin. A cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value against a fiat currency, such as USDT against the US dollar.
Wagering requirement. The amount a player must stake before bonus funds become withdrawable, usually expressed as a multiple of the bonus.
Welcome offer. The promotion a casino gives new players, usually tied to the first deposit.
Withdrawal. Moving money from a casino account back to the player, through the cashier.
Retention and marketing
CRM (customer relationship management). The tools and campaigns an operator uses to keep players engaged, from email and SMS to on-site messages.
Push notification. A short message sent to a player’s phone or browser by an app or website they have allowed.
Reactivation campaign. A message or offer aimed at players who have not played for a while.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a seamless wallet and a transfer wallet?
With a seamless wallet the player's balance stays on the operator's platform and the game provider calls it for every bet and win. With a transfer wallet, money is moved into a separate balance at the provider before play and moved back afterwards.
What does an aggregator do that a studio does not?
A studio builds games. An aggregator connects many studios behind one API, so an operator can add hundreds of studios with one integration instead of one integration per studio.
Is a crash game the same as a slot?
No. A slot settles each spin on its own; in a crash game a multiplier climbs during a round and the player has to cash out before the round ends, so timing is part of the decision.
What is GGR?
Gross gaming revenue: total stakes minus total winnings paid to players, before bonuses and costs. Many B2B deals are calculated as a share of it.