The Ultimate Online Casino Glossary

An online casino glossary of terms every player should know.

Anyone new to the gambling realm – especially online casinos – needs to read this. Like most popular markets, internet gaming sites use specific lingo to describe some of their services. You wouldn’t jump into the stock market without knowing what a portfolio is, or the difference between speculative and cyclical stocks. The same goes for online and mobile casino gaming.

The following is a comprehensive list of commonly used terms that you need to be familiar with.

The Ultimate Online Casino Glossary

APM / Alternative Payment Method: This refers to any type of deposit or withdrawal method besides the usual credit/debit card. They include online payment processors (aka eWallets or Web Wallets), prepaid cards/vouchers, eChecks, and online banking.

Bankroll: This is the amount of money in your account available for betting.

Bet: A single wager on any game or contest.

Betting Limits: The minimum and maximum stakes a player can bet on a specific game, as defined by the casino.

Bonus: A special incentive promoted by the casino to draw new players and encourage loyalty from existing players. These can include deposit bonuses, no-deposit bonuses, reload bonuses, and free complimentary credit bonuses.

Casino App: A downloadable casino application for smartphone and tablet mobile devices (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc.)

Complimentary Credit Bonus: A complimentary bonus in which an existing member of a casino receives a defined amount of free credits to wager with.

Dealer: In casino card games especially, the dealer is the player you are competing against (i.e. the “house”).

Deposit: The process of funding an online casino bankroll, or account.

Deposit Bonus: A bonus awarded to players upon making a deposit. The bonus will usually match a certain percentage of the player’s deposit amount (i.e. 100% up to $400).

Deuce: Two.

Double Down: In blackjack, to double your wager and take one additional card, automatically standing on the total.

Double or Nothing: To wager all of the winnings from the previous play on a 50/50 bet (see Gamble Feature).

Download Casino: A form of online casino gaming in which the player downloads the casino software to their desktop or laptop computer.

Edge: An advantage over another player in terms of probabilities to win (see House Edge).

eCheck: A instant electronic check (see APM) that mimics the writing of a paper check over the internet.

Even Money: A bet that pays out the same amount wagered.

eWallet: Secure online payment processors like Neteller, Paypal and Skrill (see APM) used for making deposits and withdrawals.

Face Card: Any card with a face on it (Jack, Queen, King) with a point value of 10.

Free Spins: A promotion in which a player is awarded a number of free spins on a specific slot machine, or variety of slot machines.

Gamble Feature: In slot machines, a double or nothing wager on a 50/50 bet. This is an optional feature. If you win, you double your winnings. If you lose, you lose the previous winnings.

Hand: A player’s cards in any card-based game.

High Roller: A player who bets large amounts of money (aka Whale).

House: The casino.

House Edge: The casino’s edge (advantage) over the player.

Inside Bets: In roulette, a bet that is placed on a single number, or small group of numbers, within the numbered betting area of the table (i.e. corner bet on 1-2-4-5).

Jackpot: The largest prize that can be won on a specific game. Not all games carry jackpots.

Live Baccarat: (see Live Casino Games).

Live Blackjack: (see Live Casino Games).

Live Casino Games: Multi-player online casino games with real cards and dealers, streamed live from a casino studio but played online or on mobile.

Live Roulette: (see Live Casino Games).

Instant Play Casino: A form of online casino gaming in which the player participates in games directly from their browser, without requiring a download.

ISL / International Slots League: A special online slots tournament schedule with daily and weekly events. ISL is available only at Fortune Lounge-owned casinos (i.e. Royal Vegas, Platinum Play, 7 Sultans, etc.)

Mobile App: (see Casino App).

Multiplier: In slots, a special feature that multiplies the player’s winnings by a specific amount (i.e. 3x multiplier).

Multi-Hand: A game in which the player can be dealt more than one hand in the same game.

Multi-Player: Any casino game in which players compete against one, or as a group against the dealer, another in real time.

No-Deposit Bonus: A free, usually small amount of credits awarded to new players when registering an account, without requiring a deposit.

Odds: The probability that a player will win or lose a bet, usually presented in percentage form (see Payback Percentage).

Outside Bets: In roulette, a bet on a large group of numbers outside the numbered betting area of the table (i.e. Black or Red)

Payback Percentage: The amount a slot machine will pay out over the long term (i.e. 96.5% = $96.50 for every $100 bet, on average). This term can also apply to specific bets in all other casino games, and can vary on strategic games like blackjack, depending on the strategy used.

Payout: The amount to be paid on any winning bet.

Pay Table: In slots mostly, the pay table designates the payout for each possible winning combination.

Playthrough: (see Wagering Requirements).

Progressive Jackpot: A jackpot that grows exponentially until someone wins it. A small percentage of every bet placed contributes to the growth of the progressive jackpot.

Punto Banco: The Spanish name for Baccarat.

RIO / Return on Investment: The actual amount a player wins/losses, as opposed to the expected return (see RTP).

RNG / Random Number Generator: A special software that generates random, unpredictable and realistic results in all online casino games.

Royal Flush: In card games, when 5 cards make a Flush and an Ace-high Straight (i.e. A, K, Q, J, 10, all in hearts, clubs, diamonds or spades).

RTP / Return to Player: The amount a player can expect to win, over the long term, based on a game’s payback percentage.

Tournament: A special betting format in which multiple players pay an initial fee to enter, and are all given the same amount of credits to play. The winner is the one with the most points/credits when time expires. Tournaments can pay a single winner, or share the prize pool among multiple winners.

WR / Wagering Requirements: Found within the terms of a bonus, this is the amount/value of bets a player must place to clear the bonus before winnings can be withdrawn.

Web Wallet: (see eWallet).

Whale: (see High Roller).

Withdrawal: The process of cashing out winnings to a credit/debit card, or APM.

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