This glossary defines the terms used in casino bonus terms, game rules, payment pages and Australian gambling law. Each definition is short and factual; where a term has its own guide on BetsAuthority, the entry links to it. Figures such as house edges refer to standard rules unless stated.

Jump to a letter: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z

A

• ACMA: the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which enforces the Interactive Gambling Act and directs internet providers to block illegal gambling sites. See ACMA blocked sites.
• Account verification: the identity, address and payment checks a casino runs before paying out. See how to verify your account.
• Activation period: the time allowed to activate a credited bonus or start free spins before they lapse.
• Action: the total amount of money bet over a period; the same idea as turnover.
• Ante Bet: an optional pokie setting that raises the cost per spin (25% on Gates of Olympus) to increase the chance of triggering free spins.
• Anjouan licence: a gambling licence issued in the Comoros, used by some offshore casinos. See Anjouan licence.
• AUD account: a casino account held in Australian dollars, avoiding currency conversion on deposits and withdrawals. See AUD casinos.
• Autoplay: a pokie function that runs a set number of spins automatically at the same stake.
• Avalanche reels: a mechanic where winning symbols are removed and new ones fall into place, allowing several wins from one paid spin. Also called cascading or tumbling reels.

B

• Baccarat: a card game in which you bet on the Banker hand, the Player hand or a Tie. See the baccarat guide.
• Bankroll: the money set aside for gambling, separate from living expenses. See bankroll management.
• Banker bet: the baccarat bet on the Banker hand; it usually pays even money minus 5% commission and has a house edge of about 1.06%.
• Basic strategy: the mathematically optimal play for every blackjack hand against every dealer upcard. See basic strategy.
• Bet behind: a live blackjack option to bet on another seated player’s hand without controlling decisions.
• BetStop: the National Self-Exclusion Register for licensed Australian online and phone wagering providers. See BetStop.
• Bonus abuse: casino term for using bonuses in ways the terms prohibit, such as multiple accounts or low-risk betting; it can lead to confiscated winnings.
• Bonus balance: funds credited as a bonus, held separately from real money at casinos that use non-sticky bonuses.
• Bonus buy: paying a fixed multiple of the stake, often 100x, to trigger a pokie’s feature immediately. See bonus buy vs free spins.
• Bonus code: a word entered at registration or in the cashier to claim a specific promotion. See promo codes.
• Bonus round: a pokie feature triggered by scatters or other symbols, such as free spins or a pick game.
• Burn card: a card removed from the top of the deck or shoe and not used in play.
• Bust: in blackjack, a hand total over 21, which loses immediately.

C

• Cashback: a refund of a percentage of net losses over a period. See cashback bonuses.
• Cashout: a withdrawal of funds from the casino account to a payment method.
• Cascading reels: see avalanche reels.
• Chargeback: a card payment reversed by the bank; casinos usually close accounts that dispute deposits this way.
• Cluster pays: a pay system where wins form from groups of touching symbols rather than paylines. See cluster pays.
• Comp points: points earned per amount wagered that convert into rewards. See loyalty points.
• Cooling-off period: a short self-imposed break from gambling, usually 24 hours to six weeks. See cooling off.
• Crash game: a game where a multiplier rises until it “crashes”; you must cash out before the crash to win. See crash games.
• Craps: a dice game in which players bet on the outcome of rolls of two dice. See the craps guide.
• Croupier: the dealer who runs a table game such as roulette or baccarat.
• Crypto wallet: software or hardware that stores the keys to cryptocurrency. See crypto wallets.
• Curaçao licence: a gambling licence from Curaçao, the most common licence among offshore casinos accepting Australians. See Curaçao licence.

D

• D+B wagering: wagering calculated on deposit plus bonus. 30x D+B on a 100% match equals 60x the bonus. See wagering requirements.
• Dealer: the casino representative who deals cards or spins the wheel; in blackjack, the hand players compete against.
• Demo mode: playing a game with virtual credits instead of money. See demo play.
• Deposit limit: a cap you set on how much you can deposit per day, week or month. See setting deposit limits.
• Deposit match: a bonus equal to a percentage of your deposit, up to a cap. See deposit match bonuses.
• Deposit turnover: a rule that a deposit must be wagered a number of times, often 3x, before withdrawal, even without a bonus.
• Dormancy fee: a monthly charge on accounts inactive for a set period, often 12 months.
• Double down: in blackjack, doubling the stake in exchange for exactly one more card. See doubling down.

E

• E-wallet: an online payment account such as Skrill or Neteller, used between your bank and the casino. See Skrill.
• En prison: a French roulette rule where an even-money bet stays on the table for one more spin after a zero. See La Partage and En Prison.
• European roulette: roulette with a single zero and 37 pockets; house edge 2.70%. See European vs American roulette.
• Even money: a bet that pays 1 to 1, such as red or black.
• Expected value (EV): the average result of a bet or bonus over many repetitions. For a bonus: bonus amount minus turnover times house edge.
• Expiry: the deadline after which a bonus, free spins or points are removed. See bonus expiry.

F

• Feature buy: see bonus buy.
• Fiat currency: government-issued money such as the Australian dollar, as opposed to cryptocurrency.
• Fixed jackpot: a top prize that is a fixed multiple of the stake, unlike a progressive jackpot.
• Forfeit: giving up a bonus, which removes the bonus and usually any winnings made with it.
• Free bet: a stake credited by the operator; usually only winnings are returned, not the stake.
• Free spins (promotion): spins credited by the casino at a fixed stake on a named pokie. See free spins bonuses.
• Free spins (feature): a bonus round inside a pokie triggered by scatters. See free spins features.
• French roulette: single-zero roulette with La Partage or En Prison, lowering the edge on even-money bets to 1.35%. See French roulette.

G

• Gamble feature: an option to risk a pokie win on a card colour or ladder to double it; usually banned during bonus wagering.
• Gambler’s fallacy: the false belief that past independent results change future odds. See gambler’s fallacy.
• Gambling Help Online: Australia’s free, confidential 24/7 support service, phone 1800 858 858. See help services.
• Gambling tax: in Australia, winnings of recreational gamblers are generally not taxed. See gambling tax.
• Game weighting: the percentage of each bet that counts towards wagering. See game weighting.

H

• Hand: the cards held by a player or dealer, or one round of a card game.
• High roller: a player who stakes large amounts. See high roller bonuses and the high roller guide.
• Hit: in blackjack, taking another card.
• Hit frequency: the share of pokie spins that produce any win, regardless of size.
• Hold and Win: a pokie feature where special symbols lock in place during respins. See Hold and Win.
• House edge: the casino’s average profit as a percentage of each bet; 100% minus RTP. See house edge.
• Hybrid bonus: see non-sticky bonus.

I

• Inside bet: a roulette bet on a single number or small group of numbers. See inside and outside bets.
• Instant withdrawal: a payout processed within minutes of approval, usually by crypto or e-wallet. See fast withdrawals.
• Insurance: a blackjack side bet paying 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack when showing an ace. See insurance.
• Instalment payout: a large win paid in fixed amounts over several weeks or months under the casino’s withdrawal limits.
• Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA): the Commonwealth law that prohibits providing online casino services to people in Australia. See Interactive Gambling Act.
• Irregular play: a bonus-terms category covering betting patterns the casino prohibits, such as low-risk betting.

J

• Jackpot: the largest prize available in a game, either fixed or progressive.
• Jacks or Better: a video poker game where a pair of jacks or higher is the lowest paying hand. See Jacks or Better.
• Joker: a wild card in some video poker and card games.

K

• Kahnawake licence: a licence from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. See Kahnawake licence.
• Keno: a lottery-style game in which you pick numbers and win based on matches with drawn numbers. See the keno guide.
• KYC (Know Your Customer): identity and address checks required before withdrawals. See KYC verification.

L

• La Partage: a French roulette rule returning half of an even-money bet when zero lands. See La Partage.
• Lightning Roulette: an Evolution live roulette with random multipliers on straight-up numbers. See Lightning Roulette.
• Live dealer: a table game streamed from a studio with a human dealer. See the live casino guide.
• Loss limit: a cap on net losses over a period, set in the account’s responsible gambling tools. See setting limits.
• Low-risk betting: betting on outcomes that cancel each other out, such as red and black together, to clear wagering; prohibited in bonus terms.
• Loyalty program: a scheme that rewards wagering with points or levels. See VIP programs.

M

• Martingale: a system that doubles the stake after each loss; it does not change the house edge. See Martingale system.
• Max bet rule: the stake limit while a bonus is active. See max bet rule.
• Max cashout: the most you can withdraw from a bonus, also called a win cap.
• Max win: the largest payout a pokie allows, stated as a multiple of the stake (5,000x on Gates of Olympus).
• Megaways: a Big Time Gaming mechanic with a changing number of symbols per reel, up to 117,649 ways to win. See Megaways.
• MGA: the Malta Gaming Authority, an EU regulator. See MGA licence.
• Minimum deposit: the smallest deposit accepted, or the smallest that qualifies for a bonus.
• Mines: a grid game where you reveal tiles and avoid mines, with the multiplier rising per safe tile. See Mines.
• Multiplier: a factor that multiplies a win or a stake, such as the 2x to 500x orbs in Gates of Olympus.

N

• Natural: in blackjack, an ace and a ten-value card as the first two cards; in baccarat, a two-card total of 8 or 9.
• Net loss: deposits minus withdrawals minus balance, or bets minus wins, over a period; the usual base for cashback.
• Network fee: the blockchain charge for sending a crypto transaction, set by the network rather than the casino.
• No deposit bonus: a bonus credited without a payment. See no deposit bonuses.
• Non-sticky bonus: a bonus kept separate from your deposit, with real money played first. See sticky vs non-sticky.
• No-wagering bonus: a bonus or free spins whose winnings are paid as real money without a playthrough requirement.

O

• Odds: the ratio of the payout to the stake, or the probability of an outcome. See understanding odds.
• Offshore casino: a casino licensed outside Australia that accepts Australian players. See offshore casinos.
• Opt-in: actively choosing a promotion or tournament before play counts.
• Outside bet: a roulette bet on a large group of numbers, such as red, odd or a dozen.

P

• Parachute bonus: see non-sticky bonus.
• PayID: an Australian bank payment system that links an account to an email or phone number. See PayID.
• Paylines: the lines across a pokie grid on which matching symbols pay. See paylines.
• Payout percentage: the share of money wagered that is returned to players over time. See payout percentage.
• Player bet: the baccarat bet on the Player hand, paying 1 to 1 with a house edge of about 1.24%.
• Plinko: a game where a ball drops through pegs into multiplier slots. See Plinko.
• Pokies: the Australian term for slot machines. See the pokies guide.
• Progressive jackpot: a jackpot that grows with each bet until won. See progressive jackpots.
• Promo code: see bonus code.
• Provably fair: a cryptographic method that lets players verify each game result. See provably fair.
• Punto banco: the standard casino version of baccarat with fixed drawing rules. See punto banco.
• Push: a tie in which the stake is returned.

Q

• Qualifying deposit: a deposit that meets a bonus’s minimum amount and payment method rules.
• Qualifying game: a game that counts towards wagering or tournament points.

R

• Rakeback: a percentage of wagered amounts, or of the house edge, returned to the player regardless of results.
• Random number generator (RNG): the software that produces game results. See RNG explained.
• Real balance: your own deposited money and its winnings, withdrawable without bonus wagering.
• Reality check: a pop-up reminder of time and money spent in a session. See reality checks.
• Reload bonus: a deposit match for existing players. See reload bonuses.
• Respin: a re-spin of some or all reels, usually with symbols held.
• Rollover: see wagering requirement.
• RTP (return to player): the theoretical percentage of stakes a game returns over the long term. See RTP explained.

S

• Scatter: a pokie symbol that pays or triggers features anywhere on the grid.
• Self-exclusion: a voluntary ban from gambling for a set period. See self-exclusion.
• Session limit: a cap on the length of a playing session.
• Shoe: the box holding several decks of cards in blackjack and baccarat.
• Side bet: an optional extra bet on a specific outcome, usually with a higher house edge. See blackjack side bets.
• Soft hand: a blackjack hand with an ace counted as 11. See soft hands.
• Source of funds: documents such as payslips or bank statements that a casino may request to confirm where deposited money came from.
• Split: in blackjack, separating a pair into two hands with a second stake. See splitting pairs.
• Stand: in blackjack, taking no more cards.
• Stablecoin: a cryptocurrency designed to hold a fixed value against a fiat currency, such as USDT against the US dollar.
• Sticky bonus: a bonus that cannot be withdrawn and is removed at cashout.
• Sticky wild: a wild symbol that stays in place for several spins.
• Surrender: a blackjack option to give up half the stake and end the hand.

T

• Table limit: the minimum and maximum bet allowed at a table.
• Tie bet: the baccarat bet that both hands finish equal, usually paying 8 to 1 with a house edge of about 14.4%.
• Tilt: playing emotionally after losses, usually with larger or more frequent bets.
• Tobique licence: a licence issued by the Tobique Gaming Commission in Canada. See Tobique licence.
• Tournament: a timed competition for prizes based on points. See casino tournaments.
• Tumble: see avalanche reels.
• Turnover: the total amount bet; wagering requirements are expressed as turnover.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): a second login step using a code. See two-factor authentication.

U

• Unit: a standard stake size used to express bets, such as 1% of a bankroll.
• Upcard: the dealer’s face-up card in blackjack.
• USDT: Tether, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. See USDT.

V

• Variance: the spread of results around the average; high variance means larger and less frequent wins.
• Video poker: a single-player poker machine game paying by hand rank. See video poker.
• VIP program: a tiered reward scheme based on wagering. See VIP programs.
• Volatility: a pokie’s risk profile, describing how often and how much it pays. See volatility.
• VPN: a service that routes internet traffic through another location; many casino terms prohibit using one. See VPNs and online casinos.

W

• Wager-free spins: free spins whose winnings are paid as real money.
• Wagering requirement: the total amount you must bet before bonus funds become withdrawable. See wagering requirements.
• Welcome bonus: the bonus package for a new account’s first deposits. See welcome bonuses.
• Wild: a pokie symbol that substitutes for other symbols.
• Win cap: the maximum amount withdrawable from a bonus or free spins.
• Withdrawal limit: the maximum payout per transaction, day, week or month. See withdrawal limits.

X

• x (multiplier notation): shorthand for “times”, as in 40x wagering or a 5,000x max win.
• xWays: a Nolimit City mechanic where special symbols expand into several copies of a symbol, increasing ways to win. See Infectious 5 xWays.

Y

• Yo: a craps bet that the next roll is 11, usually paying 15 to 1. See craps bets and odds.

Z

• Zero (green) pocket count: one zero on European and French wheels, two (0 and 00) on American wheels.
• Zero: the green pocket on a roulette wheel that creates the house edge on most bets.
• Zero spiel (jeu zéro): a French roulette call bet covering the seven numbers closest to zero on the wheel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding the terms does not reduce the risk of gambling. Play only if you are 18+, and call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858 for free, confidential support.