UK online gambling glossary: A–Z of terms, in plain English

Every term below is defined in one to three sentences. Where a term needs more, it links to a full article. Regulatory facts are taken from Gambling Commission documents; the date at the bottom shows when the list was last checked. Last reviewed: 21 September 2026.

A

ADR (alternative dispute resolution). An independent body a licensed operator must name in its terms so that a customer can escalate a complaint the operator has not resolved. Free for the customer; decisions on the facts of a dispute, not on whether the terms are fair.

Affiliate. A website or person paid by an operator for sending it customers, usually per sign-up (CPA) or as a share of the customer's losses (revenue share). Affiliate marketing must follow the same advertising rules as the operator's own marketing.

Affordability check. The everyday name for two different things: the light-touch financial vulnerability check triggered at £150 of net deposits in 30 days, and the staged financial risk assessments for much higher spend. Neither requires a customer to send in payslips. See financial vulnerability checks.

Age verification. GB-licensed operators must verify a customer's age before they can deposit and play, not after a first withdrawal request. Under-18s cannot gamble online in Great Britain.

Autoplay. A function that spins a slot repeatedly without a click. Not available on online slots licensed in Great Britain since the slot design rules that took effect on 31 October 2021.

B

Bet builder. A sportsbook feature that combines several outcomes from one event into a single bet at combined odds.

Bonus. Any promotional credit, free spins or matched deposit. What matters is not the headline amount but the wagering requirement, the maximum stake while wagering, the expiry date and which games count.

Bonus abuse. An operator's term for using promotions in a way its terms forbid — multiple accounts, betting both sides of an event, or exploiting a pricing error. Operators may confiscate bonus winnings for it; they must still pay out deposited funds.

C

Cashback. A promotion that returns a percentage of net losses over a period, usually as bonus funds with their own wagering, sometimes as cash.

Chargeback. A card payment reversed through the bank rather than the operator. Since 14 April 2020 credit cards cannot be used for gambling in Great Britain, so chargebacks now mostly concern debit cards. See the credit card ban.

Commission, the. Shorthand for the Gambling Commission, the regulator for Great Britain under the Gambling Act 2005. It issues licences, sets licence conditions, and can fine or revoke.

Cooling-off. See time-out.

CPA (cost per acquisition). A one-off fee paid to an affiliate when a referred customer registers and deposits.

D

Deposit limit. A cap a customer sets on how much they can deposit per day, week or month. Lowering it takes effect immediately; raising it takes effect after a delay, so that an impulse cannot undo it.

Demo mode. A free-play version of a game. In Great Britain a licensee must verify a customer's age before giving access to free-to-play versions of its gambling games (social responsibility code 3.2.11, since 7 May 2019), so most GB sites do not offer open demos.

F

Financial risk assessment (FRA). A check using credit reference agency data, applied above high net-deposit thresholds and being rolled out in stages by the Commission. Frictionless by design: the customer is not asked for documents. See financial vulnerability checks.

Financial vulnerability check (FVC). A light-touch check against public records — bankruptcy orders, County Court Judgments, IVAs and similar — triggered at £150 net deposits in a rolling 30 days (£500 from 30 August 2024, lowered on 28 February 2025). Credit reference data is not used.

Free spins. A set number of slot spins at a fixed stake, awarded as a promotion. Winnings are usually bonus funds subject to wagering.

G

GamCare. The charity that runs the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133, free, 24/7) and live chat, plus treatment services. See responsible gambling.

GambleAware. The public-facing brand and website for gambling harm prevention in Great Britain. Its programme and website moved to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities under the statutory levy system in 2025–26.

GAMSTOP. The national online self-exclusion scheme. Participation has been compulsory for GB-licensed online operators since 31 March 2020. See GAMSTOP.

Gambling Act 2005. The Act that created the Gambling Commission and the licensing system for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has separate law).

H

Hit frequency. How often a game produces any win, expressed as a percentage of spins or rounds. Not the same as RTP: a game can pay often and still return little.

House edge. The operator's built-in margin on a game, the mirror image of RTP. A 96% RTP slot has a 4% house edge.

K

KYC (know your customer). Identity, age and — where risk requires it — source-of-funds checks that operators must carry out under anti-money-laundering rules and the licence conditions.

L

LCCP. The Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice: the rulebook attached to every Gambling Commission licence. Licence conditions are binding; social responsibility code provisions are treated as conditions; ordinary code provisions are guidance an operator must explain departures from.

Licensing objectives. The three aims the Gambling Act 2005 sets for regulation: keeping gambling free of crime, keeping it fair and open, and protecting children and other vulnerable people from harm.

Loss limit. Like a deposit limit, but applied to net losses.

M

Max bet (while wagering). The largest stake allowed on a single spin or hand while a bonus is being wagered. Exceeding it usually voids the bonus and its winnings.

Max win. The largest possible payout from one spin, stated as a multiple of the stake, e.g. 10,000x. Rare by design: a max win may occur once in millions of spins.

Megaways. A reel mechanic licensed by its developer to other studios, in which the number of symbols per reel changes each spin. A registered trade mark of Big Time Gaming.

N

Net deposits. Deposits minus withdrawals over a period. The figure the £150 and financial-risk thresholds are measured against.

Net position. The running total of money won or lost in a session. GB slot rules require it to be displayed, along with the time the session has run.

R

Reality check. A pop-up at set intervals showing time played and money spent, with the option to stop. Customers can set the interval; operators must offer it.

Remote gaming duty (RGD). The UK tax on online casino-type gambling, charged on the operator's profits, not on players. Raised to 21% on 1 April 2019 and, following the Budget of 26 November 2025, to 40% from April 2026; a separate 25% remote betting duty follows in April 2027, with horse racing bets exempt.

Reverse withdrawal. Cancelling a pending withdrawal so the money returns to the playable balance. Not permitted for GB-licensed operators since 31 October 2021.

RNG (random number generator). The software that decides each outcome. Under the Commission's technical standards it must be independently tested; the operator cannot adjust results for an individual player.

RTP (return to player). The share of all stakes a game is designed to return to players over a very large number of plays. A 96% RTP means £4 of every £100 staked is the expected long-run margin. See RTP explained.

RTS. The Remote gambling and software technical standards — the Commission's technical rulebook for online games. RTS 3 covers game information including RTP; RTS 14 covers responsible product design for slots.

S

Self-exclusion. A customer's decision to block themselves from gambling for a set period. Nationally through GAMSTOP; individually with each operator; in shops through separate schemes.

Session limit. A maximum time per session set by the customer; the game logs them out when it is reached.

Slam stop. Tapping to stop reels early. Not permitted under RTS 14.

Source of funds (SoF). Evidence of where a customer's gambling money comes from — payslips, bank statements, sale documents — requested when spend or behaviour raises money-laundering or harm risk. Distinct from the frictionless financial checks, which need no documents.

Stake. The amount risked on one spin, hand or bet.

Sticky bonus. Bonus money that can be played with but never withdrawn; only winnings above it can be cashed out. A non-sticky bonus keeps deposited cash separate until it is used up.

T

Time-out. A short self-imposed break from an account — typically 24 hours to six weeks — after which the account reopens automatically. Longer breaks are self-exclusion.

Turbo / quick spin. Options that shorten the time until a result is shown. Not permitted on GB-licensed slots under RTS 14, which sets a minimum of 2.5 seconds per game cycle.

V

Variance. Another word for volatility: how widely results swing around the RTP in the short run.

VIP scheme. A loyalty programme for high-spending customers, called a high value customer scheme in the rules. Since 31 October 2020 (social responsibility code 5.1.1(2)) an operator must confirm that a customer's spending is affordable, check for signs of harm, and hold up-to-date identity, occupation and source-of-funds records before designating anyone as high value, with a senior licence-holding executive personally accountable for the scheme.

Volatility. How a game distributes its RTP: many small wins (low) or rare large ones (high). See volatility explained.

W

Wagering requirement. How many times a bonus (or bonus plus deposit) must be staked before winnings can be withdrawn. See wagering requirements.

White label. A gambling brand run by a partner company on another company's licence. The licence holder remains responsible for compliance. See white label.

Withdrawal. Moving money from a gambling account to a bank, card or e-wallet. Operators may not make withdrawing harder than depositing, and cannot demand verification at withdrawal that they should have done at sign-up.

Sources: Gambling Commission — Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (SR codes 3.2.11, 5.1.1); Remote gambling and software technical standards (RTS 3, RTS 14); "Financial vulnerability checks: insights from implementation" (14 May 2026); "New rules to stamp out irresponsible VIP customer practices" (30 September 2020); GAMSTOP, "About"; Remote Gaming Duty change as reported by iGB, 26 November 2025. Corrections via the contact page.