Gambling glossary

A short code entered at sign-up or deposit to claim a specific offer.

Some casinos and sportsbooks need a code, typed into the promo field when you register or deposit, to attach the welcome offer. Many offers need no code and apply automatically when you sign up through the offer link.

The time you have to use a bonus and complete its wagering before it is removed.

Every bonus has a time limit, from 24 hours for some free spins to 60 days for large match bonuses. Unfinished wagering at expiry means the bonus and any winnings from it are removed, so choose a window that suits how often you play.

Money you can play with but cannot withdraw until the bonus terms are met.

Bonus funds sit apart from your cash balance. Most casinos use your cash first, then bonus funds, and winnings made with bonus funds stay locked until wagering is complete. Withdrawing early usually forfeits the bonus.

A percentage of your net losses over a period, paid back to you.

Cashback returns part of what you lost, for example 10% of weekly net losses. It is best when paid as cash with no wagering. It softens losing periods but does not change the house edge of the games you play.

Bonus funds equal to a percentage of your deposit, up to a maximum amount.

A 100% match up to $500 turns a $100 deposit into $100 of bonus funds, and a $500 deposit into $500. A 200% match gives twice your deposit. The match percentage and the cap set the bonus size; the wagering requirement decides what it is really worth.

The average result of a bet or bonus over many tries; an average, not a prediction.

Expected value is what you would get back on average if you repeated the same bet or bonus many times. For a casino bonus it is roughly the bonus minus the expected cost of clearing wagering. Any single session can end far above or below it.

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Spins on a named slot at a fixed stake, paid for by the casino.

Free spins are played on a slot chosen by the casino at a fixed value per spin. Their face value is spins multiplied by spin value. Winnings are often paid as bonus funds with wagering, unless the offer says no wagering.

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The share of each bet that counts towards wagering, set per game type.

Slots usually contribute 100%, so a $1 spin clears $1 of wagering. Table games often contribute 10% or nothing, so a $10 blackjack hand may clear only $1. Low contribution multiplies the real amount you need to bet.

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The identity and age checks a licensed operator must complete before paying out.

Know Your Customer checks confirm your name, age and address, sometimes with a photo ID and a recent bill. Licensed operators must complete them, and doing them early is the simplest way to avoid delays on your first withdrawal.

The largest stake allowed per spin or hand: set by each game, and capped lower by most bonuses while they are wagered.

Every slot has a maximum bet per spin, shown in its info screen. Separately, most casino bonuses cap your stake while you clear the wagering requirement, often at $5 per spin or hand. Betting above the cap, even once, can let the casino void the bonus and any winnings from it. The cap stops players from using high-variance bets to clear wagering quickly.

A cap on how much you can withdraw from a bonus or free spins, whatever you win.

A maximum cashout limits the winnings you can withdraw from a bonus, usually a no-deposit offer. With a $100 cap, a $400 win from no-deposit spins pays out $100 and the rest is removed. The best offers have no cap; where there is one, we show it in the key terms.

Free spins or bonus cash credited for registering, before you deposit anything.

A no-deposit bonus lets you try a casino without funding your account. It typically comes with wagering, a short expiry and a maximum cashout, and you will usually need to verify your identity before withdrawing any winnings.

A bonus or free spins whose winnings are paid as cash you can withdraw straight away.

No-wagering offers pay winnings as real cash with no playthrough attached. They are usually smaller than headline match bonuses, but their real value is often higher because there is no wagering cost to subtract.

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The stake of each free spin, for example $0.10 or $0.20.

Spin value is the fixed bet size of each free spin. It matters more than the number of spins: 50 spins at $0.20 ($10 of play) are worth more than 100 spins at $0.05 ($5 of play).

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How many times you must bet a bonus (or deposit + bonus) before it can be withdrawn.

A wagering requirement, also called a playthrough, is the number of times you must bet the bonus amount before it converts to withdrawable cash. A $100 bonus with 30x wagering on the bonus means $3,000 of bets. When it applies to deposit plus bonus, the base doubles on a 100% match, so the same 30x needs $6,000. Lower is better: 25x or less on the bonus only is good.

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The sign-up offer for new customers, usually tied to the first deposit.

A welcome bonus is available once per person, household and payment method. It can be a deposit match, free spins, a free bet or a mix. Compare welcome bonuses on their terms and estimated value rather than headline size.

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An optional extra charge per spin, often +25%, that raises the chance of triggering the bonus.

An ante bet (or bet boost) adds a surcharge to every spin in exchange for more frequent bonus triggers, for example by adding scatter symbols to the reels. It makes each spin more expensive and does not make the game a better deal by itself; check whether the game's published RTP changes with it switched on.

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Paying a fixed price, often 100x the stake, to trigger a slot's bonus round at once.

A bonus buy (feature buy) skips the base game for a set multiple of your stake. The RTP of the buy is usually similar to the base game, but the cost per round is high, so losses can mount quickly. Some markets ban the feature.

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A wheel feature that awards a prize, multiplier, jackpot or entry into another bonus round.

A bonus wheel is spun once its trigger lands and stops on a segment that pays a prize, a multiplier, a jackpot or entry into another feature. The visible segments are not equally likely unless the game says so; the result comes from the random number generator.

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Wins pay for groups of touching symbols rather than lines across the reels.

In cluster-pays slots, a group of matching symbols touching horizontally or vertically (often five or more) forms a win. Winning symbols usually disappear and new ones fall in, which can chain several wins in one spin.

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The grid grows during play, adding rows or reels and more ways or lines to win.

Expanding reels add rows or whole reels during a feature, often as wins or special symbols land. A bigger grid means more lines or ways can pay, which is where many of these games concentrate their top wins.

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A wild that grows to cover its whole reel when it lands.

When an expanding wild lands, it stretches to fill every position on its reel, turning one symbol into a full column of wilds. On line and ways games that can connect several wins at once. Some games only expand the wild when it completes a win.

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A jackpot prize set at a fixed multiple of your stake, such as Mini, Minor, Major or Grand.

A fixed jackpot pays a set multiple of your stake rather than a growing pool, so its value is known before you spin. Tiers such as Mini, Minor, Major and Grand are often won in a hold-and-win feature. Unlike a progressive jackpot, it is not funded by other players' bets.

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An optional double-or-nothing guess after a win; it does not improve the game's long-term return.

After a win, the gamble feature lets you risk it on a guess, such as the colour or suit of a card, to double or quadruple it or lose it all. It adds variance but not value: at best its own return equals the stake you risk. Many regulated markets limit or ban it.

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How often a spin pays something, e.g. 25% means about 1 in 4 spins.

Hit frequency is the share of spins that return any win, including wins smaller than the stake. A high hit frequency does not mean a slot is generous; many hits may pay back less than you bet.

A respin feature where cash symbols lock in place and the counter resets each time a new one lands.

Landing enough special cash or coin symbols starts the feature: those symbols lock, you get a set number of respins (often three) and the counter resets whenever another one lands. When the respins run out, the values on the locked symbols are added up and paid. Filling the grid often awards a fixed jackpot.

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The casino's built-in average margin on a game: 100% minus the RTP.

The house edge is the share of each bet the casino keeps on average. A 96% RTP slot has a 4% edge; European roulette has 2.7%; blackjack with perfect basic strategy is about 0.5%. No betting system changes it.

The largest possible payout on one spin, shown as a multiple of the stake.

A 5,000x max win pays $5,000 on a $1 spin at most. It is usually extremely rare, and many games stop a feature once the cap is reached.

A licensed reel engine where reel heights change each spin, giving up to 117,649 ways.

Megaways is a mechanic licensed by Big Time Gaming. Each reel shows a random number of symbols on every spin, so the number of ways to win changes constantly. Megaways slots are usually high volatility.

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A factor, such as 2x or 10x, that increases the size of a win.

A multiplier scales a win by a set factor. It can sit on a symbol, apply to a whole spin or grow during a feature such as free spins. Multipliers drive most of a slot's biggest wins, which is also why games built around them tend to be more volatile.

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Special symbols that all turn into the same randomly chosen symbol, which can complete several wins.

Mystery symbols land as blanks or question marks and then all reveal the same regular symbol, picked at random. Because every mystery symbol becomes the same one, a screen with many of them can complete several wins at once.

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Fixed patterns across the reels that symbols must land on to pay.

Classic slots pay when matching symbols land along set lines, usually from the leftmost reel. More lines do not mean better odds; the paytable is balanced to the number of lines.

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A bonus game where you choose hidden items to reveal prizes, multipliers or extra features.

In a pick bonus (pick-and-click or pick-me feature) you select items on screen to reveal cash prizes, multipliers or entry to another feature. The outcome is decided by the game's random number generator, so which item you pick does not change the long-run return.

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A jackpot that grows with a slice of every bet until someone wins it.

Part of each stake feeds a prize pool that keeps rising until it is won, sometimes across many casinos. Jackpot slots often have a lower base-game RTP to fund the pool, and the chance of the top prize on any spin is tiny.

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Some or all reels spin again without a new stake, triggered by a specific symbol or combination.

A respin re-spins selected reels, or the whole grid, at no extra cost. Respins are usually triggered by particular symbols, and some games hold the winning or special symbols in place while the rest spin again.

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The share of all stakes a game pays back over millions of plays, such as 96%.

RTP is a long-run average set by the game's maths. A 96% RTP slot returns $96 for every $100 staked across millions of spins, so the house edge is 4%. Some slots come in several RTP versions and casinos choose which one to offer, so check the info screen.

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Symbols that count as two or more of the same symbol, making longer combinations easier.

A split symbol (double or triple symbol) shows two or more icons in one position and counts as that many when wins are evaluated. On ways games that multiplies the number of winning ways a spin can form.

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Wilds that land in vertical stacks covering several positions on a reel.

Stacked wilds appear as a block of wild symbols on a reel rather than a single one. A full stack works like an expanding wild and can connect wins across many lines or ways in one spin; partial stacks are more common.

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Wilds that stay locked in place for several spins or for the rest of a feature.

A sticky wild does not disappear after the spin it lands on: it holds its position for a set number of spins or until a feature ends, so each following spin starts with that wild already in place. Sticky wilds mostly appear inside free spins or respin features.

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Lower-paying symbols are transformed into higher-paying ones during a feature.

A symbol upgrade turns low-paying symbols into higher-paying ones, either for one spin or for the rest of a feature such as free spins. Upgrades make every later win in that feature worth more, but they are part of the game's published RTP, not an extra.

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Winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in, so one paid spin can win several times.

With tumbling reels, also called cascading reels or avalanches, winning symbols are removed after each win and new symbols fall into the gaps. If they form a new win the process repeats, all from the one paid spin. Many games add a multiplier that grows with each tumble.

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How a slot's payouts are spread: frequent small wins (low) or rare big ones (high).

Volatility, or variance, describes the swing of results. Low-volatility slots pay small amounts often; high-volatility slots go longer between wins but can pay much more. Two slots with the same RTP can feel very different because of volatility.

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Wilds that move one position after each spin and trigger a respin until they leave the grid.

A walking wild shifts one position, usually one reel to the left, after each spin and awards a free respin while it is still on the grid. The feature ends when the wild walks off the edge. The respins cost nothing extra; the wins they produce count as normal.

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Wins pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels in any position, not on fixed lines.

A 243-ways slot pays for matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, wherever they land on each reel. Megaways and similar engines change the number of ways on every spin.

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A symbol that stands in for regular paying symbols to complete a win.

A wild substitutes for the regular paying symbols, so it can complete a line, way or cluster that would otherwise miss. Wilds usually do not replace scatter or bonus symbols, and some carry their own multiplier. The paytable says exactly what a game's wild can replace.

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A refund, often as a free bet, if one leg of a qualifying accumulator loses.

Acca insurance returns your stake, usually as a free bet up to a cap, when exactly one selection of an accumulator lets you down. Conditions such as minimum legs and minimum odds per leg apply.

One bet on several selections where all must win; the odds multiply together.

A four-fold accumulator at odds of 2.00 each pays 16.00, but all four must win. Because each selection carries the bookmaker's margin, the combined margin grows with every leg.

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Moneyline prices: +150 wins $150 on a $100 stake, -200 needs $200 to win $100.

Positive American odds show the profit on a $100 bet; negative odds show the stake needed to win $100. +150 equals 2.50 decimal and -200 equals 1.50.

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On horse racing, you are paid at the starting price if it beats the odds you took.

If you back a horse at 5.00 and it starts at 7.00, a BOG bookmaker pays the winning bet at 7.00. It is a racing concession, often limited to UK and Irish races and to a maximum payout, so check the terms.

Settling a bet early for an amount offered by the bookmaker before the event ends.

Cash out lets you take a guaranteed amount before your bet is settled. The offered price usually includes a margin, so cashing out costs a little on average; it is a tool for managing risk, not for adding value.

Whether the odds you took beat the final price before the event started.

If you bet at 2.20 and the market closes at 2.00, you beat the closing line. Consistently beating it is one of the best signs that your bets have value, because the closing price is the market's most informed estimate.

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The total return per $1 staked, including the stake: 2.50 returns $2.50.

Decimal odds show the full return for each unit staked. Profit is stake x (odds - 1), and the implied chance is 1 divided by the odds. They are the easiest format for comparing prices and working out accumulators.

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Two equal bets in one: a win bet and a place bet, so the total stake is doubled.

A $5 each-way bet costs $10. If the selection wins, both parts pay; if it only places, the place part pays at a fraction of the odds (often 1/4 or 1/5) set by the place terms. It is common in horse racing and golf.

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A racing promotion paying the place part of each-way bets on more places than usual.

With an extra-place offer, a race that normally pays three places might pay four. It improves the value of each-way bets on horses that finish just outside the standard places.

Profit relative to stake, as in 3/2: win $3 for every $2 staked, plus your stake back.

Fractional odds are traditional in UK and Irish racing. To convert to decimal, divide the top number by the bottom and add 1: 3/2 is 2.50, evens (1/1) is 2.00.

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A bet token from a sportsbook; winnings are paid but the token stake usually is not.

A free bet lets you place a bet without staking your own money. Most are stake not returned: a $10 free bet at 3.00 that wins pays $20, not $30. Free bets often carry minimum odds and an expiry date.

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The chance suggested by a price: 1 divided by the decimal odds.

Odds of 4.00 imply a 25% chance. Add up the implied probabilities of every outcome in a market and the total is above 100%; the excess is the bookmaker's margin.

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The bookmaker's built-in edge: how far a market's implied chances add up past 100%.

If a football match is priced so the implied chances total 105%, the margin is about 5%. Lower margins mean better prices for bettors. Margins compound in accumulators, which is why multiples carry a much larger edge than singles.

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The shortest price a qualifying bet can have for an offer to trigger.

Offers say, for example, minimum odds 1.50 (1/2): a qualifying bet at shorter odds, such as 1.40, will not count. For accumulators, the rule may apply to each selection or to the combined price.

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The fraction of the win odds paid on the place part of an each-way bet, and the places paid.

Place terms such as 1/5 odds, 3 places mean the place part of an each-way bet pays one fifth of the win odds if the selection finishes in the first three. Extra-place offers pay one more place than standard.

A winning free bet pays only the profit, not the free bet stake.

With a stake-not-returned free bet, a win pays stake x (odds - 1). It makes a free bet worth less than its face value: at fair odds of 3.00 a $10 SNR free bet is worth about $6.67 on average. Using it at longer odds keeps more of its value.

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A winning free bet pays the profit plus the free bet stake, like a normal bet.

Stake-returned free bets are rarer and worth their full face value at fair odds, because a win pays stake x odds. Money-back offers that refund losing bets as cash are similar in value.

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A bet whose odds are longer than the true chance of it winning justifies.

A value bet has positive expected value: if a team really wins 50% of the time, any price above 2.00 is value. Value betting still loses often in the short run, and finding it consistently is hard.

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The money you set aside for gambling, kept separate from money you need.

A bankroll is a budget you can afford to lose entirely. Sizing each bet as a small share of it, and stopping when it is gone, keeps gambling within limits you chose in advance.

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A cap you set on how much you can deposit per day, week or month.

Licensed operators must offer deposit limits. Lowering a limit takes effect at once; raising one usually has a cooling-off delay. Setting one before you play is one of the most effective safer-gambling tools.

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A reminder at set intervals showing how long you've played and your net result.

Reality checks interrupt play every 30 or 60 minutes with your session time and wins or losses. They help you notice time passing and decide whether to stop.

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Blocking yourself from gambling for months or years; it cannot be undone early.

Self-exclusion closes your account for at least six months and stops marketing. National schemes such as GAMSTOP in the UK cover every licensed operator at once. If gambling is causing harm, free and confidential support is available 24/7.

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A short break, from 24 hours to a few weeks, during which you cannot play.

A time-out blocks your account for a period you choose. It is useful after a bad session or when you want a pause without closing the account. GambGenius members can also hide all offers from their account settings.

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