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On the wire

Jargon Buster

Gambling has a vocabulary all of its own, and some of it sounds deliberately confusing. These are the terms that come up most often in our articles, each explained in a sentence or two. Where we have a full article on a term, the entry links to it.

Sports betting terms

  • Accumulator (or parlay) — several selections combined into one bet. Every one has to win for the bet to pay.
  • Back — to bet that something will happen. The opposite of laying.
  • Exchange — a platform where bettors take opposite sides of an outcome and the operator charges commission. See our exchange explainer.
  • Favourite — the side the market expects to win, shown with a minus sign on a spread or moneyline.
  • Futures (or outright) — a bet on something decided much later, such as a league title. See what a futures bet is.
  • Hook — the half point in a line such as -6.5, which rules out a tie on the bet.
  • Lay — to bet that something will not happen, taking the role usually played by a bookmaker.
  • Liability — the most a layer can lose on a bet if the outcome happens.
  • Moneyline — a bet on who wins outright, with no handicap.
  • Point spread — a handicap that gives the weaker side a head start. See our point spread guide.
  • Push — a result that lands exactly on the line, usually returning the stake.
  • Teaser — a combined bet that moves several spreads in your favour for a lower payout.
  • Underdog — the side the market expects to lose, shown with a plus sign.
  • Vig (or juice, or margin) — the share the operator builds into its prices so that it profits over time.

Casino and slot terms

  • House edge — the long-run percentage of each stake a casino game is designed to keep.
  • Paytable — the screen that shows what each symbol combination pays and how features work.
  • Progressive jackpot — a top prize that grows as players stake, until someone wins it.
  • RNG — the random number generator that decides each outcome in an online game.
  • RTP (return to player) — the theoretical share of stakes a slot pays back over a very large number of spins. It says nothing about a single session.
  • Volatility — how a slot's payouts are spread: frequent small wins, or rarer and larger ones.
  • Wagering requirement — the amount you must stake before bonus funds can be withdrawn.

Safer play terms

  • Chasing — betting more, or again, to win back money already lost. A common warning sign.
  • Deposit limit — a cap on how much can be added to a gambling account over a set period.
  • Reality check — an on-screen reminder of how long you have been playing.
  • Self-exclusion — a formal block on gambling with an operator or across many for a fixed period. See Self-Exclusion Explained.
  • Time-out — a short, voluntary pause on an account.

Missing a word?

If you came across a term on the hub that is not listed here, let us know through Reach Us and we will add it. Understanding the language is a good start, but it never changes the odds; gambling remains a pastime for adults with money they can afford to lose.

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