The iGaming Glossary
Clear, operator-focused definitions for the metrics, models and mechanics that run an iGaming business—from GGR and retention to sportsbook exposure, AML, data architecture and AI.
Start with the essentials
Six concepts that connect commercial performance, player value, compliance and the analytical foundation underneath them.
GGR
What is GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue)? Formula, common mistakes, jackpot and free-bet treatment, and why this is the foundational metric in iGaming.
Financial & Performance MetricsRTP
What is RTP in iGaming? Return to Player formula, theoretical vs realised RTP, common mistakes and how operators use it across compliance and finance.
Financial & Performance MetricsLTV
What is LTV in iGaming? Customer Lifetime Value formula, historical vs projected, common mistakes and how operators use it for CPA and channel decisions.
CRM, Retention & LoyaltyKYC
What is KYC in iGaming? How identity verification works, common mistakes, what good looks like and why KYC sits at the foundation of operator compliance.
Compliance, AML & RGData Warehouse
What is a data warehouse in iGaming? How operators build analytical foundations, common mistakes, build-vs-buy decisions and why warehouses matter for iGaming.
Data, Analytics & BIAI Agent
What is an AI Agent in iGaming? How conversational analytics works, common mistakes, why domain-grounded AI outperforms generic LLMs and what good looks like.
AI & MLBrowse all 125 terms
Choose a topic, jump to a letter or type any metric, acronym, role or concept.
Filter by first letter
Financial & Performance Metrics
Revenue, margin and unit-economics definitions used to read operator performance.
GGR
What is GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue)? Formula, common mistakes, jackpot and free-bet treatment, and why this is the foundational metric in iGaming.
NGR
What is NGR (Net Gaming Revenue)? Formula, common mistakes and how operators use it for board reporting, CRM analytics and valuation in iGaming.
Bonus Cost Ratio
What is bonus cost ratio in iGaming? Formula, gross vs net cost, common mistakes and why this metric is one of the biggest levers for NGR margin.
Turnover
What is turnover in iGaming? Definition, formula, free-bet treatment, common mistakes and how operators use turnover alongside GGR and hold percentage.
Margin
Margin in iGaming has at least four meanings: implied, theoretical, realised hold and net margin. Definitions, formulas and how to avoid confusing them.
House Edge
What is house edge in iGaming? Formula, theoretical vs realised, casino game examples and how it sets the structural margin of casino operations.
RTP
What is RTP in iGaming? Return to Player formula, theoretical vs realised RTP, common mistakes and how operators use it across compliance and finance.
ARPU
What is ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) in iGaming? Formula, GGR vs NGR ARPU, common mistakes and how operators use it for CRM, marketing and finance.
ARPPU
What is ARPPU in iGaming? Average Revenue Per Paying User formula, common mistakes and how it differs from ARPU for CRM and marketing analysis.
Sportsbook & Trading
Pricing, exposure, market and bet-management language used by sportsbook teams.
Hold Percentage
What is hold percentage in iGaming? Sportsbook hold formula, common mistakes, structural vs effective hold and why it sets your trading margin.
Overround
What is overround in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and how trading teams use it as the upstream margin signal that drives hold.
Cash-out
What is cash-out in iGaming? How sportsbook cash-out works, common mistakes, hold reporting impact and why operators must separate cash-out activity.
Liability
What is liability in an iGaming sportsbook? Formula, common mistakes, real-time monitoring and how trading teams use liability to manage exposure.
Exposure
What is exposure in iGaming? How it differs from liability, the categories that matter, common mistakes and how operators manage portfolio-level risk.
Bet Builder
What is a bet builder in iGaming? How it works, joint probability pricing, common mistakes and why this product reshaped sportsbook margin economics.
Same-Game Multi
What is Same-Game Multi (SGM) in iGaming? How it relates to Bet Builder, regional naming differences and why pricing logic is identical across markets.
In-play Betting
What is in-play betting in iGaming? How live sportsbook works, common mistakes, healthy practices and why operators must separate in-play from pre-match.
Pre-match Betting
What is pre-match betting in iGaming? How it differs from in-play, common mistakes, customer-mix dynamics and why it remains foundational to sportsbooks.
Margin Drift
What is margin drift in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy patterns and how trading teams use drift to read pricing accuracy and customer flow.
Sharp Customer
What is a sharp customer in iGaming? How operators identify them, common mistakes, regulatory context and why customer mix shapes sportsbook margins.
Bet Acceptance Rate
What is bet acceptance rate in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy patterns and how trading teams balance customer experience against risk discipline.
Push / Void Rate
What is push / void rate in iGaming? Formula, how pushes differ from voids, common mistakes and why they affect hold reporting and operational quality.
Handicap Betting
What is handicap betting in iGaming? How spreads and Asian handicaps work, common mistakes and why handicap markets drive substantial sportsbook volume.
Trader
What is a Trader in iGaming? How the sportsbook trader role works, common mistakes and how automation is reshaping trading operations across operators.
Market Suspension
What is Market Suspension in iGaming? Why traders pause markets, common mistakes and what suspension rates reveal about sportsbook operations.
Void
What is a Void in iGaming? Why bets get voided, settlement rules, common mistakes and why clear void handling determines long-term player trust.
Player & Activity Metrics
The measures behind player volume, engagement, sessions and betting behaviour.
Active Players
What counts as an active player in iGaming? Definitions, formula, common mistakes and why this metric drives ARPU, churn and every CRM number.
DAU, WAU, MAU
What are DAU, WAU and MAU in iGaming? Definitions, formulas, stickiness ratios and how operators read these activity metrics together.
FTD
What is an FTD (First Time Depositor) in iGaming? Definition, formula, common mistakes and why this metric anchors all acquisition reporting.
NDC
What is NDC (New Depositing Customer) in iGaming? Definition, how it differs from FTD, contractual rules and why it matters for affiliate payouts.
Session Length
What is session length in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, what it reveals about engagement and why it also matters for Responsible Gambling.
Sessions Per User
What is sessions per user in iGaming? Formula, what it reveals about player habit, common mistakes and why operators read it alongside session length.
Average Bet Size
What is average bet size in iGaming? Formula, mean vs median, common mistakes and how operators use bet size distribution to read player mix.
Conversion Rate
What is conversion rate in iGaming? Visit-to-registration, registration-to-FTD, FTD-to-first-bet definitions, formulas and common mistakes operators make.
Time-to-First-Bet
What is time-to-first-bet in iGaming? Formula, what it reveals about post-deposit onboarding friction and how operators use it to recover stuck FTDs.
Reactivated Player
What is a reactivated player in iGaming? Definition, dormancy thresholds, common mistakes and why operators track reactivation separately from retention.
CRM, Retention & Loyalty
Lifecycle, value, churn, reactivation and loyalty concepts for sustainable growth.
LTV
What is LTV in iGaming? Customer Lifetime Value formula, historical vs projected, common mistakes and how operators use it for CPA and channel decisions.
Predictive LTV
What is Predictive LTV in iGaming? How ML models forecast lifetime value early, common mistakes, model performance signals and how operators use it.
Retention Rate
What is retention rate in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, cohort retention vs aggregate, and how CRM teams use it for lifecycle decisions.
Churn Rate
What is churn rate in iGaming? Definition, formula, common mistakes and how operators measure player churn for CRM, retention and LTV forecasting.
Reactivation Rate
What is reactivation rate in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, holdout discipline, post-reactivation retention and how operators measure CRM lift.
Cohort Retention
What is cohort retention in iGaming? Cohort curve formula, common mistakes and why it reveals acquisition quality changes that aggregate retention hides.
VIP Tier
What is a VIP tier in iGaming? How operators structure tiers, common mistakes, regulatory considerations and how predictive models support VIP programmes.
VIP Share of GGR
What is VIP Share of GGR in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and why this concentration metric matters for finance and compliance.
Bonus Conversion
What is bonus conversion in iGaming? Wager vs cash conversion, common mistakes, play-through impact and how operators measure promotion effectiveness.
Stickiness
What is stickiness in iGaming? DAU/MAU formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and how operators use it as an engagement intensity signal.
Predictive Churn Score
What is Predictive Churn Score in iGaming? How ML forecasts player churn early, common mistakes, holdout discipline and how CRM teams use it.
Acquisition & Affiliate
Channel economics, attribution and partner-quality metrics from click to lifetime value.
CPA
What is CPA in iGaming? Cost Per Acquisition formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and why operators must read CPA alongside LTV for true efficiency.
CPL
What is CPL in iGaming? Cost Per Lead formula, common mistakes, lead-to-FTD conversion and how operators compare CPL contracts to CPA contracts cleanly.
CPC
What is CPC in iGaming? Cost Per Click formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and how operators read CPC alongside CPA for full funnel economics.
CPM
What is CPM in iGaming? Cost Per Mille formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and how operators track impression cost during major events.
CAC
What is CAC in iGaming? Customer Acquisition Cost formula, how it differs from CPA, common mistakes and why LTV-to-CAC drives unit economics.
CAC Payback
What is CAC Payback in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and why cash-flow timing of acquisition spend matters as much as LTV-to-CAC.
RevShare
What is RevShare in iGaming? Affiliate revenue share formula, healthy percentages, lifetime vs time-limited deals and common contractual disputes.
Hybrid Deal
What is a Hybrid Deal in iGaming? CPA plus RevShare structure, common mistakes, healthy mix patterns and why it has become the industry default.
Affiliate Conversion Rate
What is affiliate conversion rate in iGaming? Click-to-FTD, Reg-to-FTD formulas, common mistakes and how operators evaluate affiliate quality.
NDC Quality
What is NDC Quality in iGaming? How operators measure beyond raw NDC volume, the components that matter and why volume affiliates and premium differ.
Cookie Window
What is a cookie window in iGaming? How attribution duration works, common mistakes, healthy lengths and why mismatches drive operator-affiliate disputes.
Attribution Models
What is last-click vs first-click attribution in iGaming? How models affect affiliate compensation, common mistakes and why operators are moving to multi-touch.
Casino & Games
Game maths, portfolio performance and player-preference concepts for casino operations.
Game Volatility
What is game volatility in iGaming? How variance shapes casino sessions, common mistakes, healthy mix patterns and why provider ratings differ across studios.
Hit Frequency
What is hit frequency in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy ranges and how casino managers use hit frequency alongside RTP and volatility.
Bonus Round Frequency
What is bonus round frequency in iGaming? Formula, common mistakes, healthy patterns and why bonus mechanics drive game retention more than base RTP.
Provider Mix
What is provider mix in iGaming? How operators optimise game studio distribution, common mistakes, healthy patterns and why concentration risk matters.
Slot Performance
What is slot performance in iGaming? Multi-metric assessment, common mistakes, lifecycle context and why GGR alone misleads casino lobby decisions.
Live Casino
What is live casino in iGaming? How streaming products work, common mistakes, why economics differ from slots and the rise of live game shows.
Bet Distribution
What is bet distribution in iGaming? Percentile views, common mistakes, why median matters more than mean and how operators read distribution shape.
Game Categories
What are game categories in iGaming? How operators structure lobby groupings, common mistakes, healthy patterns and editorial vs personalised navigation.
Jackpot Contribution
What is jackpot contribution in iGaming? How progressive pools work, common mistakes, liability handling and why operators separate jackpot reporting.
Player-Game Affinity
What is player-game affinity in iGaming? How ML personalisation works, common mistakes, RG considerations and why operators use affinity for bonus targeting.
Compliance, AML & RG
Core identity, monitoring and player-protection concepts for regulated operators.
KYC
What is KYC in iGaming? How identity verification works, common mistakes, what good looks like and why KYC sits at the foundation of operator compliance.
AML
What is AML in iGaming? How operator frameworks work, common mistakes, regulatory consequences and what good AML practice looks like in regulated markets.
Source of Funds
What is Source of Funds in iGaming? How operators verify SOF, common mistakes, regulator expectations and why this is one of the most-tested compliance areas.
Affordability Check
What is an affordability check in iGaming? How operators implement frameworks, common mistakes, regulator expectations and why it became priority.
Markers of Harm
What are markers of harm in iGaming? How operators detect problem gambling signals, common mistakes and what good RG framework looks like in practice.
Self-Exclusion
What is self-exclusion in iGaming? How operators must implement it, common mistakes, regulatory expectations and why enforcement is heavily scrutinised.
Responsible Gambling
What is responsible gambling in iGaming? How operators operationalise modern RG frameworks, common mistakes and why data-driven approaches outperform legacy.
GDPR
What does GDPR mean for iGaming operators? Specific obligations, common mistakes, intersection with AML/RG and why data protection has iGaming dimensions.
Transaction Monitoring
What is transaction monitoring in iGaming? How operators detect AML signals, common mistakes, threshold tuning and integration with the wider compliance stack.
Sanctions Screening
What is sanctions screening in iGaming? How operators run screening, common mistakes, list coverage and why failures carry personal officer liability.
Fraud & Bonus Abuse
Signals and controls used to detect abuse, manipulation and suspicious behaviour.
Bonus Abuse
What is bonus abuse in iGaming? How operators detect promotional exploitation, common mistakes, multi-signal scoring and what good defence looks like.
Multi-accounting
What is multi-accounting in iGaming? How operators detect duplicate accounts, common mistakes, network analysis and why self-exclusion enforcement is critical.
Arbitrage Betting
What is arbitrage betting in iGaming? How arbing works, common mistakes, regulator scrutiny and why operators treat it differently than fraud.
Chargeback
What is a chargeback in iGaming? How card payment disputes work, common mistakes, friendly fraud detection and why iGaming operators face elevated risk.
Velocity Rules
What are velocity rules in iGaming? How time-based detection works, common mistakes, threshold tuning and why velocity catches what static rules miss.
Device Fingerprinting
What is device fingerprinting in iGaming? How fraud detection works, common mistakes, GDPR considerations and why it underpins multi-account enforcement.
Risk Score
What is a risk score in iGaming? How operators build composite scoring, common mistakes, ML calibration and why scoring drives modern fraud and compliance work.
Collusion
What is collusion in iGaming? How it manifests in poker, sportsbook and casino, common mistakes, network analysis and integrity programme participation.
Data, Analytics & BI
The analytical architecture, modelling and delivery concepts behind reliable decisions.
Data Warehouse
What is a data warehouse in iGaming? How operators build analytical foundations, common mistakes, build-vs-buy decisions and why warehouses matter for iGaming.
ETL
What is ETL in iGaming? How the pattern works, common mistakes, when ETL fits versus ELT and what good data integration looks like in modern operators.
ELT
What is ELT in iGaming? How modern data integration works, common mistakes, why it replaced ETL as default and how analytics engineering changes data work.
Reverse ETL
What is Reverse ETL in iGaming? How it moves warehouse data to operational systems, common mistakes and why it closes the analytics-to-activation loop.
Semantic Layer
What is a semantic layer in iGaming? How it translates data into business meaning, common mistakes and why definition governance prevents conflicting metrics.
Metric Layer
What is a metric layer in iGaming? How operators govern definitions, common mistakes, why GGR has multiple valid variants and how to handle them properly.
Streaming
What is streaming in iGaming? How real-time data processing works, common mistakes, when streaming fits versus batch and what good architecture looks like.
Real-time Pipeline
What is a real-time pipeline in iGaming? How operators build them, common mistakes, latency budgets and why time-sensitive decisions depend on them.
Feature Store
What is a feature store in iGaming? How ML infrastructure works, common mistakes, training-serving skew and why feature governance matters for ML reliability.
Embedding
What are embeddings in iGaming? How vector representations enable similarity-based ML, common mistakes and why they power modern personalisation.
Master Chart
What is Master Chart in iGaming? How operators unify player identity across brands and systems, common mistakes and why fragmented identity breaks analytics.
Customer Data Platform
What is a Customer Data Platform in iGaming? How CDPs work, common mistakes, CDP vs warehouse decisions and why iGaming has specific requirements.
Dimensional Modelling
What is dimensional modelling in iGaming? How fact and dimension tables work, common mistakes and why the pattern persists in modern data warehouses.
SCD
What are Slowly Changing Dimensions in iGaming? How operators handle dimension changes over time, common mistakes and why SCD choice affects analytics.
AI & ML
Practical artificial-intelligence and machine-learning concepts grounded in iGaming use cases.
AI Agent
What is an AI Agent in iGaming? How conversational analytics works, common mistakes, why domain-grounded AI outperforms generic LLMs and what good looks like.
LLM
What is an LLM in iGaming? How operators apply language models, common mistakes, grounding techniques and why generic LLMs need work to be useful.
RAG
What is RAG in iGaming? How retrieval-augmented generation grounds LLMs, common mistakes and why most production AI features depend on RAG patterns.
Recommendation Engine
What is a recommendation engine in iGaming? How personalisation works for games and events, common mistakes, RG integration and what good looks like.
Anomaly Detection
What is anomaly detection in iGaming? How operators apply ML for surveillance, common mistakes and why proactive detection beats dashboard review.
Early VIP Detection
What is Early VIP Detection in iGaming? How operators predict high-value players early, common mistakes, RG integration and acquisition channel implications.
Vector Database
What is a vector database in iGaming? How semantic search infrastructure works, common mistakes and why modern AI applications depend on vector capabilities.
Model Drift
What is model drift in iGaming? How ML models degrade silently over time, common mistakes, detection techniques and why monitoring matters operationally.
Holdout Group
What is a holdout group in iGaming? How operators measure incremental ML and CRM impact, common mistakes and why honest measurement requires control groups.
Prompt Engineering
What is prompt engineering in iGaming? How operators shape LLM behaviour, common mistakes and why it has become production engineering discipline.
Payments & Wallet
Deposit, withdrawal and payment-performance concepts across the player money journey.
Deposit
What is a deposit in iGaming? How the transaction works, key metrics, common mistakes and why deposit health compounds through the entire player lifecycle.
Withdrawal
What is a withdrawal in iGaming? How the flow works, key metrics, common mistakes and why withdrawal experience is a retention lever operators cannot ignore.
PSP
What is a PSP in iGaming? How Payment Service Providers work, why smart routing matters, common mistakes and how operators pick and manage them.
Payout Speed
What is Payout Speed in iGaming? How to measure it, why fast payouts drive retention, common mistakes and how operators turn it into a competitive edge.
Payment Method Mix
What is Payment Method Mix in iGaming? Why the portfolio matters, common mistakes and how operators tune method selection per market for conversion and cost.
Product & Growth
Experimentation, onboarding, loyalty and product mechanics that influence conversion.
Onboarding Flow
What is Onboarding Flow in iGaming? Why the first minutes shape LTV, common mistakes and how operators design flows for conversion and quality.
Registration Funnel
What is a Registration Funnel in iGaming? How to measure stage-by-stage conversion, common mistakes and where leaks actually happen operationally.
A/B Testing
What is A/B Testing in iGaming? How operators run experiments, common mistakes, statistical discipline and why structured testing produces real improvements.
VIP Programme
What is a VIP Programme in iGaming? How tiers, rewards and account management work, common mistakes and where commercial and RG considerations intersect.
Loyalty Points
What are Loyalty Points in iGaming? How programmes work, earn and redemption mechanics, common mistakes and how they complement VIP programmes.
Gamification
What is gamification in iGaming? How operators use game mechanics for engagement, common mistakes and where the RG boundary sits in gambling context.
Governance & Security
Access and governance foundations that keep analytical products controlled and trusted.
RBAC
What is RBAC in iGaming? How role-based access control governs data and actions, common mistakes and why access governance is a compliance requirement.
Data Quality
What is Data Quality in iGaming? Why poor quality destroys analytics silently, common mistakes and how operators build the quality discipline that scales.
Data Architecture
The processing patterns that shape how quickly data becomes usable information.
Try a broader phrase, another business topic or clear the filters to return to the full glossary.
Definitions teams can actually use
An iGaming metric is only useful when Finance, CRM, Trading, Casino, Compliance and Data mean the same thing by it. This glossary turns shorthand into explicit definitions, formulas and decision context.
Every entry is written for practical operator use: what the term means, why it matters, how teams calculate or interpret it, where it goes wrong and which related concepts complete the picture.
Operator context
Examples and distinctions reflect the realities of sportsbook, casino, acquisition, player lifecycle and regulated operations.
Comparable definitions
Each page makes scope and calculation choices visible, helping teams avoid multiple versions of the same KPI.
Decision-ready structure
Concise summaries, formulas, failure modes, benchmarks and related terms support both human readers and AI retrieval.
iGaming glossary FAQ
What is the Gamblitude iGaming Glossary?
It is a practical reference covering 125 KPIs, commercial terms, product mechanics, compliance concepts and data or AI terminology used across online casino and sportsbook operations.
Who is the glossary designed for?
It is written for operator executives and teams across Finance, CRM, Acquisition, Affiliates, Casino, Sportsbook Trading, Compliance, Fraud, Product, BI, Data and AI.
What does each definition include?
Entries combine a concise definition with formulas where relevant, business context, common mistakes, benchmarks or healthy ranges, related concepts and practical implementation notes.
Can these definitions support an internal metric layer?
Yes. The pages are useful starting points for agreeing scope, naming and calculation conventions. Your production metric layer should then document operator-specific rules, source systems, owners and version history.
Put one governed meaning behind every metric.
Explore the data, BI and AI products that turn shared definitions into reliable reporting, proactive signals and answers teams can trust.