A Short Glossary

The notebook uses a handful of words again and again. This glossary collects them in one place, each with a short definition and, where we have one, a pointer to the entry that explains it in full. Like every page here, it assumes a reader of at least 18.

Betting words

• Line. The handicap or total attached to a market, such as −3.5 or over 44. It decides whether a bet wins.
• Price (odds). The figure that decides how much a winning bet pays. Formats are explained in Odds Basics.
• Implied probability. The chance of an outcome suggested by its price, before the margin is removed.
• Margin, vig or juice. The share a bookmaker builds into its prices so the implied probabilities of a market add up to more than 100%.
• Point spread. A handicap that subtracts points from the favourite and adds them to the underdog. See what +3.5 means in betting.
• Key number. A winning margin that comes up often in a sport because of how scoring works, which makes lines around it more sensitive.
• Push. A result that lands exactly on a whole-number line; the stake is normally returned. See what a push is in betting.
• Parlay or accumulator. One ticket made of several selections that all have to win.
• Same-game parlay. A parlay whose selections all come from one match, priced with an adjustment for how the outcomes are linked. See what a same-game parlay is.
• Void. A bet cancelled by the operator, usually with the stake returned, for example when a match is abandoned.

Slot words

• RNG. The random number generator, the software that decides every spin.
• RTP. Return to player: the share of all money staked that a game is designed to pay back over a very large number of spins.
• House edge. The remainder after RTP; the long-run share the game keeps.
• Volatility. The pattern of a game's payouts: many modest hits, a few big ones, or something in between.
• Scatter. A symbol that pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, not only on a payline.
• Wild. A symbol that stands in for others to complete a win.
• Sticky wild. A wild that stays in place for several spins. See what sticky wilds are.
• Hold and win. A respin feature in which prize symbols lock in place and new arrivals reset the counter. See how hold and win slots work.
• Bonus buy. An option to pay a fixed multiple of the stake to enter a feature straight away. See what bonus buy slots are.
• Progressive jackpot. A top prize that grows as players stake money, until someone wins it.

Safer-play words

• Deposit limit. A cap you set on how much can be paid into an account over a chosen period.
• Time-out. A short, self-chosen break during which an account cannot be used.
• Self-exclusion. A longer block on your own access, sometimes across many operators at once.

Knowing the vocabulary makes the products easier to understand; it does not make them cheaper. If gambling stops feeling like a pastime, Know When to Stop lists practical steps and where to look for help.