Speak fluent
iGaming.

A/B test

Splitting traffic between two versions of a page or ad and keeping the one that wins on a metric you picked before the test started.

Picking the metric after you've seen the results is called astrology.

See also: Conversion rate

Affiliate

A partner who sends players to an operator and gets paid per player (CPA), as a share of revenue (RevShare) or a mix of both.

The only people who read bonus T&Cs for fun.

See also: CPA, RevShare, Hybrid deal

AggregatorB2B aggregator

A platform that bundles games from many studios behind one integration, so an operator signs one contract instead of hundreds.

One API, thousands of slots, one very tired integration team.

See also: RGS

AMLAnti-money laundering

The checks an operator must run on deposits, withdrawals and source of funds so gambling can't be used to clean money.

Why “I'd like to deposit a suitcase” gets a phone call.

See also: KYC

AMOEAlternative method of entry

The free way to get sweepstakes entries (often a mailed-in request) that keeps a US sweepstakes casino a sweepstakes and not a lottery.

The postcard that holds a whole business model together.

See also: Sweepstakes casino

Ante bet

An optional extra stake on top of each spin that raises the chance of triggering a feature.

Paying for the window seat. Sometimes the view is better.

See also: Enhancer

ARPUAverage revenue per user

Revenue divided by the number of active players over a period.

The number finance quotes when it wants to sound calm.

See also: LTV

Autoplay

Repeating rounds automatically with the same bet. Some regulators restrict it; the UK switched it off for online slots in 2021.

The Auto modes in our Originals come with a stop-on-profit limit; dice and limbo add stop-on-loss.

B2B / B2C

B2B companies sell games or tech to operators. B2C companies run the casino and face the players.

We're B2B. Our only player is Chip, and he never cashes out before 2×.

See also: Operator

Base game

The main game mode, before any free spins or bonus round.

Where players spend most of their time, so it can't feel like a waiting room.

See also: Bonus round

BaselineQualifying criteria

What a referred player must do (deposit amount, wagering, active days) before an affiliate's CPA is paid.

Read it before you celebrate an FTD.

See also: CPA, FTD

Bet mode

A separately priced way to play the same game (base, enhancer, bonus buy), each with its own math and its own RTP.

Vampir has five. Uncle Vlado has opinions on all of them.

See also: Bonus buy, Enhancer

Big win

A celebration screen for wins above a set multiple of the bet, usually in tiers like big, mega and epic.

Our Originals roll it out from 10× upwards. Your neighbours will hear about it.

Bonus buyBuy feature

Paying a fixed multiple of the bet (100×, for example) to start the bonus feature straight away. Not allowed in some markets, the UK among them.

Skipping the queue, priced in multipliers.

See also: Bet mode

Bonus roundFeature

A special mode (free spins, pick-me, wheel) triggered during play, usually where the big wins live.

The reason anyone tolerates the base game.

See also: Free spins

BooksStake Engine

Stake Engine's pre-generated rounds: every possible outcome of a bet mode written out with its events and given a weight. The RGS picks one per bet.

Every possible night shift, written down before anyone spins.

See also: Lookup table, Stake Engine

Bounce rate

The share of visitors who leave without interacting with the page.

Usually a page-weight problem wearing a copy-problem costume.

CACCustomer acquisition cost

What it costs, on average, to win one new depositing player.

Compare it with LTV, not with your hopes.

See also: LTV

CascadeTumble, avalanche

Winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in, so a single bet can produce a chain of wins.

Vampir's bats gain +1 for every tumble they survive.

Cashback

A refund of part of a player's losses over a period, paid as cash or as bonus money.

A consolation prize with a marketing budget.

CDNContent delivery network

A network of servers around the world that serves your files from somewhere close to the visitor.

Physics is undefeated; a CDN just moves the files closer.

Certification labTest lab

An accredited testing house (GLI, BMM, eCOGRA and iTech Labs are well-known names) that checks a game's RNG and math against a market's technical standards.

The exam where your RTP has to show its working.

See also: RNG, Par sheet

Click ID

A unique ID your tracker gives each click, carried through the landing page to the offer so a conversion can be matched back to it.

Lose it on the way and your best campaign looks like your worst.

See also: Postback, Sub-ID

Cloaking

Showing ad reviewers one page and real users another to slip past a policy. We don't build it, at any price.

If the reviewer can't see it, it shouldn't be live.

See also: Geo-swap

Cluster pays

Wins for groups of touching symbols (side by side or above and below) instead of lines.

Rakia Lab pays in clusters on a 7×7 glass grid.

See also: Pay anywhere

Conversion rateCR

The share of visitors who complete the next step: click, register or deposit. Always say which step.

“Our CR is 30%” means nothing until someone asks “of what?”.

See also: A/B test

Core Web Vitals

Google's page-experience metrics with published “good” thresholds: LCP ≤ 2.5 s, INP ≤ 200 ms, CLS ≤ 0.1.

Green on a real phone beats green on your laptop.

See also: Lighthouse

CPACost per acquisition

A fixed fee per qualified new player, usually paid on a first deposit that meets the baseline.

Simple, until you read the baseline.

See also: Baseline, Hybrid deal

CPC / CPMCost per click / per thousand impressions

What you pay for each click, or for each thousand times the ad is shown.

CPM buys eyeballs. CPC buys fingers.

See also: CTR

Crash game

A multiplier climbs from 1.00× until a random crash point. Cash out before the crash and you win the bet times the multiplier.

Our Rocket Chip has a 1% edge: the chance of reaching x is 0.99 ÷ x.

See also: Originals

Creative fatigue

The drop in an ad's performance as the same audience sees it again and again.

Why media buyers order creatives in packs of 50.

CTACall to action

The button or line that tells the visitor what to do next. One per screen is plenty.

“Click here” isn't a CTA, it's a shrug.

CTRClick-through rate

Clicks divided by impressions.

High CTR with a low CR usually means the ad promised something the page didn't.

See also: Conversion rate

Dark pattern

Design that tricks people into something they didn't mean to do: fake scarcity, hidden opt-outs, confusing buttons.

Not in our toolbox. It's in the house rules.

See also: Fake urgency

Demo modePlay money

A free version of a game with fake currency. Some regulators (the UK, for example) want age checks even before free play.

Every demo on this site runs on play money and nothing else.

Deposit limit

A cap a player sets on how much they can deposit per day, week or month.

A seatbelt you fasten before the ride, not during.

See also: RG

Deposit matchMatch bonus

A bonus that adds a percentage of the player's deposit, for example 100% up to a cap, usually with wagering requirements.

“100% up to €500” reads fast. The wagering requirement reads slower.

See also: Wagering requirement

Dice game

The player sets a target and picks over or under; a random number decides. The multiplier follows from the win chance.

In our Hyper Dice: multiplier = 99 ÷ win chance, from 1.0102× up to 9,900×.

End card

The final screen of a playable or video ad, carrying the call to action.

The last three seconds that pay for the first twenty.

See also: Playable ad

Enhancer

A bet mode that costs more per spin in exchange for better feature odds.

Vampir's Night Owl costs 2× and roughly doubles the chance of free spins.

See also: Ante bet, Bet mode

EPCEarnings per click

Affiliate earnings divided by clicks sent. The quickest way to compare offers.

The number affiliates check before their coffee.

ExposureMax exposure

The most an operator could pay out on a single round, which is why max-win caps exist.

Your risk team's favourite bedtime story.

See also: Max win, Wincap

Fake urgency

Invented time or stock pressure: countdowns to nothing, “only 3 bonuses left”, fake live-winner feeds.

We removed the timer. It wasn't counting down to anything.

See also: Dark pattern

Free spins

A bonus round of spins that cost nothing, often with extra mechanics like multipliers or sticky wilds.

Vampir's free spins are one night shift, from 21:00 to 07:00.

See also: Retrigger

FTDFirst-time depositor

A new player who makes a first deposit. The number most affiliate deals revolve around.

Celebrated by affiliates like a birthday.

See also: CPA, Baseline

Funnel

The steps from first impression to deposit: ad, pre-lander, landing page, registration, deposit.

Every step leaks. Our job is smaller holes.

See also: Pre-lander

Game sheetFact sheet

A one-page summary of a game: rules, RTP, volatility, max win, bet modes, features and media.

We built a whole page of them. You're one click away.

Geo

The country or region traffic comes from or is aimed at. Offers, payouts and rules all change by geo.

The answer to “is this allowed?” always starts with “which geo?”.

Geo-swap

One page that shows market-specific content (language, currency, licence lines, T&Cs) based on the visitor's country or a URL parameter.

One build, many markets, and the same page for reviewers and users in each one.

See also: Cloaking

GGRGross gaming revenue

Total bets minus total wins, before bonuses, taxes and costs.

The number before everyone takes their cut.

See also: NGR

Gold Coins / Sweeps CoinsGC / SC

The two currencies of a US sweepstakes casino. Gold Coins are for fun only. Sweeps Coins come free (with GC packages or by free entry) and can be redeemed for prizes.

Buy the fun coins, get the other coins free. Lawyers spent years on that sentence.

See also: Sweepstakes casino, AMOE

Hi-Lo

Guess whether the next card is higher or lower; the multiplier grows with every right call until you cash out.

Our Hi-Lo Heist pays 0.99 ÷ chance on every guess.

Hit rateHit frequency

How often a round returns any win at all, often written as “1 in 3”. It says nothing about how big those wins are.

A 1-in-2 hit rate full of 0.2× wins still feels like losing.

See also: Volatility

Hold

The share of money wagered that an operator actually kept over a period. Unlike house edge, it's measured, not designed.

House edge is the forecast. Hold is the weather.

See also: House edge

House edge

The share of each bet a game keeps on average: 100% minus RTP.

Ours is written in the rules, not hidden in the code.

See also: RTP

HTML5

The web standard modern casino games run on: in the browser, on any device, no plugins.

No Flash. It's 2026.

Hybrid deal

An affiliate deal combining a CPA with a RevShare percentage.

A bird in the hand and a share of the bush.

See also: CPA, RevShare

IAB sizes

Standard display ad sizes like 300×250, 728×90 and 160×600.

Twenty sizes by Friday? If it's Monday, yes.

iGaming

Online gambling: casino, sports betting, poker, lotteries and their neighbours.

Also the word that ends small talk at airports.

In-app browserWebview

The browser built into social apps that opens when someone taps your ad. It behaves differently from Chrome or Safari.

Test your page there, not only on your laptop.

Instant game

A short game resolved in seconds: crash, mines, plinko, dice, scratch cards.

Fourteen of them are playable on this site.

See also: Originals

Keno

Pick numbers, a set of numbers is drawn, and the payout depends on how many you hit.

Star Keno draws 10 balls from 40; its High-risk paytables top out at 9,999.99×.

KYCKnow your customer

Identity, age and address checks an operator runs on players, usually before withdrawals.

The reason “just a quick withdrawal” takes a day.

See also: AML

Landing page

The page a visitor reaches after the click, built for one action.

One offer, one promise, one button.

See also: Pre-lander

Licence

Permission from a regulator to offer gambling in a market (UKGC, MGA and Curaçao are familiar names). Game suppliers may need their own B2B licence too.

We're a studio, not a licensee. Your platform or partner holds the licence.

Lighthouse

Google's tool that scores a page on performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO.

A score is a hint, not a KPI. Real phones decide.

See also: Core Web Vitals

Lobby

The operator's game library screen, with tiles, categories and search.

Where your game has about a second to look interesting.

Lookalike audience

An ad audience built to resemble an existing list of users. Gambling targeting is restricted on many platforms.

Clone your best players? Only the adults, and only where the rules allow.

Lookup tableStake Engine

The list of book IDs, weights and payouts the RGS uses to pick a book for each bet.

Weights decide the odds. The books just tell the story.

See also: Books

LTVLifetime value

What a player is worth over their whole time with an operator.

Everyone has a model. Few of them agree.

See also: CAC

MacroToken, dynamic parameter

A placeholder like {clickid} that a network or tracker swaps for a real value when the ad is clicked.

Get one brace wrong and your report fills up with literal {clickid}s.

See also: Click ID

Max win

The biggest payout a single round can produce, as a multiple of the stake.

Vampir: 25,000×, in every bet mode.

See also: Wincap, Exposure

Media buyer

Someone who buys traffic and sends it to offers, earning on the gap between cost and payout.

A professional optimist with a spreadsheet.

See also: ROI / ROAS

Megaways-style mechanics

Slots where the reel heights change every spin, so the number of ways to win changes too. “Megaways” itself is a trademark its owner licenses.

We build our own variable systems and leave the name where it belongs.

Mines

A grid hides mines. Every safe tile raises the multiplier; a mine ends the round. Cash out whenever you like.

In Gem Mines the payout is 0.99 × C(25,k) ÷ C(25−m,k).

MRAIDMobile Rich Media Ad Interface Definitions

The IAB standard API that lets an HTML ad talk to the app it runs in: when it's ready, when it's visible, how to open a link.

Use mraid.open(), not window.open(), or your CTA goes nowhere.

See also: Playable ad

Multiplier

A factor applied to a win. In instant games the multiplier is the payout itself.

In Vampir, bat multipliers add up; they never multiply each other.

Native ads

Ads that look like content in a site's feed, sold by native networks.

Home of the “doctors hate him” headline. We write better ones.

Negative carryover

In RevShare, a losing month (players won more than they lost) carried into the next month's balance. Some deals carry it, some reset it.

One lucky high roller can cost an affiliate two months.

See also: RevShare

NGRNet gaming revenue

GGR minus bonuses and, depending on the contract, taxes and fees. Most RevShare deals are paid on NGR.

Read your contract's definition. Then read it again.

See also: GGR

No-deposit bonus

A small bonus given without a deposit, usually with strict wagering and a low cash-out cap.

Free, the way a free sample is free.

See also: Wagering requirement

Nonce

A counter used in provably fair games so the same pair of seeds gives a fresh result every round.

The bit that stops yesterday's result from being today's.

See also: Provably fair, Seed

Offer

What an operator gives through affiliates: the player bonus plus the payout terms (CPA or RevShare, geo, baseline).

One casino can have five offers. Ask which one.

Offer wall

A page listing several offers so the visitor picks the one they like.

A buffet. Works best when the plates are actually different.

Operator

The company that runs the casino, holds the licence and pays players and affiliates.

The one whose name is on the T&Cs.

Originals

Casino-branded instant games (crash, mines, dice and so on), typically with a low house edge and often provably fair.

We made fourteen. Chip tested all of them. Mostly crash.

See also: Instant game

Par sheet

The document that describes a slot's math: reel strips or weights, paytable, RTP by feature, hit rate and volatility.

A game's birth certificate, with numbers.

See also: Simulation

Pay anywhereScatter pays

Symbols pay when enough of them land anywhere on the screen, with no lines.

In Vampir, 8 or more of a symbol anywhere pays.

See also: Cluster pays

Payline

A pattern across the reels that a winning combination has to follow.

Thracian Gold uses 20 of them on a 5×3 grid.

Paytable

The list of what each symbol combination pays.

Read it once and every game makes more sense.

Pixel

A small script on a page that reports visits and events to an ad platform or analytics tool.

Great for data. One too many and your page loads like it's 2009.

See also: S2S

Playable ad

An interactive HTML5 ad the user can play for a few seconds before the call to action.

Under the size limit, over the fun limit.

See also: MRAID, End card

Plinko

A ball drops through rows of pegs, and the bucket it lands in sets the multiplier.

Neon Drop's edge buckets reach 289× on 16 rows at high risk.

PostbackServer-to-server postback

A message from the operator or network to your tracker saying “this click converted”, with the click ID and payout.

The receipt for your traffic.

See also: S2S, Click ID

Pre-lander

A short page before the offer page that warms the visitor up: a quiz, an article or a mini-game.

Ours are games, and honest about it.

See also: Landing page, Funnel

Progressive jackpot

A prize that grows with every bet across a game or network until someone wins it.

Doesn't fit stateless platforms like Stake Engine.

See also: Stateless

Provably fair

A scheme that lets players check a result wasn't changed after they bet: the server commits to a hashed seed, the player adds a seed, and anyone can recompute the result afterwards.

Trust, but verify. Mathematically.

See also: Seed, Nonce

Push traffic

Ads delivered as browser notifications to people who once clicked “allow” on some site.

Cheap clicks. Check the quality before you scale.

Reality check

A pop-up that reminds the player how long they've played and how much they've won or lost.

Not a buzzkill. A seatbelt.

See also: RG

Reel strip

The ordered list of symbols on one reel. The RNG picks a stop position on it.

Where volatility is quietly decided.

See also: Par sheet

Reskin

The same game mechanic with new art, theme and sound, usually with retuned math.

Fast and fair, as long as you own the original.

See also: White-label

Retargeting

Showing ads to people who already visited your page or app.

The “you forgot something” of iGaming.

Retrigger

Landing the trigger again during free spins to win extra spins.

In Vampir, 3 or more coffins add 5 spins and the clock keeps running past 07:00.

See also: Free spins

RevShareRevenue share

An affiliate deal that pays a percentage of the net revenue from the players you referred, for as long as the deal says.

A slow-cooker deal. Patience pays, sometimes.

See also: NGR, Negative carryover

RGResponsible gambling

Tools and messages that help players stay in control: deposit limits, reality checks, time-outs, self-exclusion, helplines.

Not a footer. A feature.

See also: Deposit limit, Self-exclusion

RGSRemote game server

The server that runs a game's outcomes and money calls for a casino: it takes the bet, decides the result and tells the wallet.

The game's brain lives here. The browser is just the face.

See also: Wallet, Stake Engine

RNGRandom number generator

The algorithm that produces the random numbers behind every outcome. Certified RNGs are tested by accredited labs.

The only truly neutral party in the casino.

See also: Certification lab

ROI / ROASReturn on investment / ad spend

Profit (ROI) or revenue (ROAS) per unit of spend.

The only metric your finance team quotes back to you.

Round

One complete play from bet to settlement, including every tumble and feature it triggers.

On Stake Engine, one round is one book.

See also: Books

RTPReturn to player

The long-run percentage of stakes a game pays back. A 96% RTP returns 96 per 100 staked on average over a huge number of rounds, never per session.

Vampir: 96.50% in all five bet modes. Most of our Originals: 99%; the scratch card: 95%.

See also: House edge, Volatility

S2SServer to server

Tracking where conversions are reported straight between servers (see postback), not through a pixel in the browser.

Ad blockers can't eat it.

See also: Postback

Scatter

A symbol that pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, not on a line.

Our namesake. It's where the fun starts.

See also: Pay anywhere

Scratch card

Reveal hidden symbols; matching ones win. Online, the result is decided the moment you buy the ticket.

Holo Scratch: three of a kind wins, and a bonus seal multiplies it up to ×5.

SeedServer seed, client seed

The secret and public inputs a provably fair game combines to produce each result.

You see the hash first and the seed later. That's the whole trick.

See also: Provably fair, Nonce

Self-exclusion

A player's choice to be blocked from gambling for a set period, at one operator or across a national scheme.

A feature we'd rather see used than hidden.

See also: RG

SEOSearch engine optimisation

Getting pages to rank in organic search.

Top lists live or die by it.

See also: Top list

Simulation

Running a game's math millions of times in code to measure RTP, hit rate and the tail of the win distribution.

Our math department, checking the RTP for the 14th time.

See also: Par sheet, Tail

Smartlink

One tracking link that routes each visitor to the best-fitting offer by geo, device or other rules.

Autopilot for offers. Check where it lands.

Social casino

Casino-style games played for virtual currency that can't be cashed out.

All the spinning, none of the withdrawals.

See also: Sweepstakes casino

Stake Engine

Stake's platform for third-party studios: you build the math (books) and the web front-end; it runs the RGS, reviews the game and publishes it.

Where our first slot went live.

See also: Books, RGS

Standard deviationVolatility index

A number for how widely results spread around the average. Higher means a bumpier ride.

Platforms often cap it. Players cap their patience.

See also: Volatility

Stateless

A round that doesn't depend on any earlier round. Required by platforms that pre-generate outcomes.

Goldfish memory, by design.

See also: Books

Sticky wild

A wild that stays in place for several spins.

Vampir's bats stay put for the whole free-spin shift.

See also: Wild

Sub-ID

Extra tracking parameters (sub1, sub2…) added to a link to slice results by campaign, creative or placement.

The difference between “it works” and “this banner works”.

See also: Click ID

Sweepstakes casino

A US social casino model with two currencies, where one (Sweeps Coins) can be redeemed for prizes and there's always a free way to enter.

Legal status varies by state, so the exclusions list matters.

See also: Gold Coins / Sweeps Coins, AMOE

T&CsTerms and conditions

The rules of an offer: wagering, max bet, eligible games, expiry. Key terms belong next to the offer.

The small print that shouldn't be small.

See also: Wagering requirement

Tail

The rare, very large wins at the far end of a game's win distribution.

Where max-win frequency lives, and where reviewers look first.

See also: Max win

Top list

A ranked comparison of casinos or offers, usually with ratings and reviews.

Our ratings come with a methodology. Revolutionary, we know.

See also: SEO

Tracker

Software such as Keitaro, Binom or Voluum that records clicks, routes traffic and matches conversions.

The single source of truth, if your postbacks work.

See also: Postback

Turbo mode

A setting that speeds up animations without changing the odds.

Same math, less suspense.

UGCUser-generated content

Ads in the style of a regular person filming on their phone.

Authentic-looking, carefully scripted. Like reality TV.

UTM

Standard URL parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign…) that tell analytics where a visit came from.

Pass them through, or your analytics thinks everyone came from nowhere.

See also: Sub-ID

VIP

An operator's programme for high-value players: account managers, cashback, faster withdrawals.

Also the first place responsible gambling checks should look.

See also: RG

VolatilityVariance

How a game's wins are spread: low volatility pays small and often, high volatility pays rarely but bigger. Same RTP, different ride.

Two 96% games can feel like a merry-go-round and a rollercoaster.

See also: RTP, Hit rate

Wagering requirementPlaythrough

How many times a bonus (or bonus plus deposit) must be bet before winnings can be withdrawn.

35× on a €100 bonus means €3,500 of bets. Do the math before the player does.

See also: T&Cs

Wallet

The operator's system that holds player balances. The RGS debits it for a bet and credits it for a win.

Where the play money ends and the real money starts.

See also: RGS

White-label

A finished product rebranded as yours: a single game or a whole casino platform under your name.

Our Originals: about 7 days from “that one” to “ours”.

See also: Reskin

Wild

A symbol that substitutes for others to complete wins.

Vampir's Bat Wild carries a multiplier too.

See also: Sticky wild

Wincap

The point where a round ends because it hit the max win.

25,000× in Vampir. Then Uncle Vlado clocks off.

See also: Max win