Gambling terms and phrases or Bet slang

Gambling terms and phrases

If you are a complete novice at gambling, you will probably want to know what are some gambling terms and phrases mean before you head out and play at your local casino!

This article is a work in progress and we aim to cover as many terms as possible.

General gambling terms

The following is a quick synopsis, in alphabetical order, of common terms you will find at a given casino. If you want a full list you can visist the gamblingsites glossary which covers terms used by online casinos in addition to land based casinos.

 
A
ACS
Automatic card shuffling. Some casinos will have this machine at the card tables which is used to shuffle the cards.
Ante
This is the initial bet required before a game will start. Typically used in card games such as poker. The term “ante” means “before” in Latin.
 
B
Banker
The banker manages winnings and losses. They will take the lost bets and pay winnings to the winners.
Bankroll
The money you have in chips that you will use for gambling. It can also be the casino’s bankroll which is used to service winners.
Bet
Your wager or stake you put at risk in order to stand a chance of winning more than your initial bet.
Bet Limit
The minimum and maximum bet allowed for a given game.
Bonus
A type of reward or incentive offered by casinos for achieving certain goals such as signing up and making a deposit.
Burn card
the top card of a deck which is removed after a shuffle.
 
C
Cage
This is the place where cash and casino chips are stored.
Card Washing
When the dealer spreads the cards on the table. Its a form of shuffling.
Cashier’s Desk
The area where you will exchange chips for cash, typically found near the Cage.
Chasing
When a player increment bet sizes in order to win back losses. This is a quick way to lose money.
Chip Tray
The tray found near the dealer of a given game. It is a bit like a till in a shop.
Chips
Plastic styled discs used to represent real money.
Coat Tail
Follow someone elses bets.
Cold streak
A run of bad luck.
Comp
Free goods and service in return for playing. “Comp husstling” is when a player minimises losses in return for comps. And in many instances, “comp points” are used as a means to reward players.
Continuous card shuffling (CSM)
A machine that continuously shuffles cards during game pay, typically used to discourage card counting.
Croupier
An employee at the casino in charge of running a table.
Cut card
A blank plastic card used to separate a deck of cards.
 
D
Dealer
An employee at the casino in charge of running a table.
Deck penetration
A term used to describe the percentage of a deck before it is re-shuffled.
Dice control
A way to throw a dice in order to control the outcome.
Dirty money
The losing bets collected at the end of a game.
Discard tray
A tray found next to the dealer containing the discarded cards.
Down card
A card dealt face down.
 
E
Even Money Bet
A bet with odds of 1:1.
Expected win rate
A game with odds of 99% will return $99 for very $100 bet in the long term.
Eye in the sky
A security camera in a casino.
 
F
Face card
A King, Queen or Jack.
Face down card
A card dealt face down.
Face up card
A card dealt face up.
Flat betting
When each stake bet is the same.
 
G
Gamblers fallacy
Believing the outcome of a bet is influenced by the previous outcome.
Gross winnings
A card dealt face down.
 
H
High roller
A player that places large bets at a given table. Typically Poker and Blackjack.
Hot streak
A player who is on a winning streak.
Hot table
A table with a lot of winners on it.
House
A term used to describe the casino.
House edge
The built in advantage that the casino has over its players.
House rules
The rules of a specific casino.
 
J
Jackpot
A large prize typically associated to a slot machine or some type of progressive game.
 
M
Marker
A player that places large bets at a given table. Typically Poker and Blackjack.
Maximum Bet
The highest amount a player can bet.
Minimum Bet
The lowest amount a player can bet.
Multi-Hand Game
Any game where the player can play more than one hand.
Multi-Player Game
Any game that can accommodate more than one playwer.
 
N
Net winnings
A players profit from his bets.
 
P
Paint
A slang terms used to describe the royal cards.
Payout
The amount paid out after a bet.
Pit
A designated area for a certain selection of games in a land based casino. This area is typically run by the Pit Boss.
Push
Another way of saying “tie”.
 
R
Racino
A casino located at a horse racing track.
 
S
Shoe
A card dispenser used at casinos.
Shuffle
Randomly mixing up cards.
Side bet
A bet unrelated to the outcome of a given game. For example, the suit of the next card to be drawn.
Stake
The bet size.
Stiff
A slang term used to describe a player who does not tip, as apposed to a “George”.
 
T
Toke
A slang term used to describe a tip to the dealer.
Table odds
The profit made by a table over a specified period of time.
 
W
Whale
A player that plays high stakes.

How to start an online casino

How to start an online casino

“I want to start an online casino” or “How to start an online casino” is a question I am often asked, and this rather vague request is typically followed by another request to put a proposal together in order for the protagonist of the question, to decide what sort of casino they may wish to start.

While I love helping people, I simply do not have the time to go through this process on a one-on-one basis due to time constraints. If you wish to hire me as a consultant, I am certainly a gun for hire, otherwise, I have penned a number of articles to guide you through the process, absolutely fee, and this should be enough to get started.

Before I, or anyone else for that matter, can help you, you need to be 100% sure of the following:

  1. What type of casino do you want to start?
  2. Who will be supplying your games?
  3. Where are your customers likely to live?
  4. What is your budget?
  5. What license do you want to operate under? (determined by budget / jurisdiction)
  6. What currency do you want to accept, will you be accepting crypto?
  7. What payment methods do you want to use?
  8. Who is going to build you website?
  9. How are you going to do your marketing?

Once you know the above, pick up the phone and call me. I am now in a position to help you!

Now before I start, if you are looking for me to http://kyleschen.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https://kyleschen.com/2017/04/11/what-do-you-want-to-want/ tell you what sort of casino/gambling enterprise you should start. I have a standard answer. Start a lottery re-selling business. Everyone knows the lottery and enjoy playing it.

If thats not your thing, then read on.

So lets go through these questions one at a time

What type of casino do you want to start?

My own casino using my own games

With your own casino games, bear in mind that most jurisdictions require that games have certification of some kind. It is different in each jurisdiction with the simplest being in Curacao which requires RNG certification.

General casino games

This would cover the likes of slots, table games, lucky numbers, live games and betting. While there are many providers across the board, we would suggest taking a look at InBet Games who has a large variety of games you can access via a single feed.

Online Poker

Poker requires decent software to be effective. There are a number of great companies out there who can offer this to you. The first is EvenBet Gaming and the second is Cubeia. There are also a number of smaller providers who have good software if price is a concern. When you contact me, you can ask me about this.

Sports Betting

Sports betting is a complicated process. Feeds are expensive, and the likes of Betfair and Paddypower require all sorts of hoops to hop through. If you are a small outfit or want to offer services in India or Pakistan I would suggest taking a look at InBet games. They have a comprehensive sports betting product that will likely work for you.

Who will be supplying your games?

This is important because some jurisdictions simply will not work with certain game suppliers. Also, licensing dictates game certification requirements that need to be adhered to. So it is important that your game supplier is able to offer games to the jurisdiction in which you plan to license.

If you will be using your own games, you will need to go through the process to get your games approved under the license you wish to work.

Where will your customers live?

If your customers live in the US and you wish to target the US market, this is not somethnig I am able to assist you with simply because I do not have the relationships in place with US based licensing authorities.

What is your budget?

Obtaining licensing is not a $5 exercise. You are going to spend at least 25K EUR per annum for your licensing needs (at the bottom end) and 200K EUR per annum at the top end. You can shave this cost down by opting for a White Label / Managed serice if you are on a tight budget.

What license do you want to operate under? (determined by budget / jurisdiction)

Lets say you want to offer services in Latin America and part of Europe. Chances are a Curacao license would work for you. However, if you were expressely interested in Europe and have the budget. You may opt for a Malta or even an Isle of Man license which has a broader scope.

Further informaiton on what gambling license to use and a cost breakdown of a Curacao license.

What currency do you want to accept, will you be accepting crypto?

The concern around crypto and fiat businesses is that a gambling company is not a financial services company. So for instance, you must be careful how you deal with crypto. In most instances, you wont be allowed to accept a payment in fiat and then offer the player a means to convert to Bitcoin or similar.

What payment methods do you want to use?

Considering 95% of all transactions are done by means of credit card a good gaming merchant account is required. The remaining 5% will be e-wallets and crypto which can wait for your casino to launc before you worry about them. In my opinion, I would not be too concerned with e-wallets and would focus on a good credit card solution.

Who is going to build you website?

he game provider will give you the API feeds to their games and in some cases will also provide you with a templated casino. If you are looking for something more enhancced, you will likely want to get someone to build a casino for you from the ground up.

How are you going to do your marketing?

The most important of it all. How are you going to find your clients? I have met many a casino operator with great software, fast servers, the right license and all the payment solutions you can imagine. But no customers…

Do not start, unless you know how you are going to reach end users.

Where do you plan to host your casino?

Hosting is super important and many of the more popular webhosting providers will not host an online casino. While small casinos can get away with it, the last thing you want is to have your servers ripped from the proverbial racks for breaking a hosting companies terms and conditions. Fortunately, you are reading this on a hosting website and you can rent any of our gambling VPS servers which will suit your needs.

For more information:

At this point you should have enogh information in terms of how to start an online casino. I would suggest you get onto some software providers for priciung, download our licensing documents for pricing and then think about how you plan to get your product to market. Once you know all of these, get in touch – my details are all over this site!

As gambling is regulated by state and territory, you can review the links under the “Gambling and Licencing” heading.

Get in touch:

How to start an online casino

FURTHER INFORMATION ON CURACAO GAMBLING LICENSES

We wrote an article on Curacao Gambling License which may be of interest to you should you be looking for alternative casino licensing information.

Gambling license Alderney | How to get a gambling license in Alderney

Gambling license report

Gambling license Alderney

Gambling license Alderney: Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.

Corporate tax: 0%
Gambling tax: 0%

The British Channel Islands are often considered to be among the world’s leaders in off-shore finance. Although these islands are dependencies of the Crown, they are not subject to or part of UK or EU legislation. This has allowed the Channel Islands to act independently, and this prompted Alderney to set up the Alderney Gambling Control Commission in 2000.

Who manages E-Gambling in Alderney?

E-Gambling is managed by AGCC, a non-political, independent body regulating Electronic gambling on Alderney’s behalf.

Alderney Gambling Overview:

In 2005 the rules where changed allowing licensed gambling operators to accept bets from players all around the world, this included the US at the time.

Minimum Share Capital for an iGaming Company: £2
Security Requirements / Indemnity for Player Deposits: A variety of mechanisms are acceptable commensurate with the Business Plan and commercial performance of the operator.
Licence Fee: £70,000 per year in lieu of all taxes (currently under review with a view to reducing the cost for start-up/smaller operators).
Licence Length: The Alderney gambling license is a yearly license.
Software Testing Requirement: Software testing is a pre-requisite and technical standards are published by AGCC.
Reporting Requirements to Regulators: Periodic financial reports are required. 
Anti-Money Laundering Policy: All operators must comply with AML legislation in force. 
Country Restrictions: No restrictions.

Alderney Gambling Contact Details

Head of e-Commerce Development
Alderney Gambling
State of Alderney
PO Box 1, Island Hall,
Royal Connaught Square
Alderney
British Channel Islands
UK
GY9 3AA
Tel: +44 207 993 8564
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.alderneygambling.com
For more information:
As gambling is regulated by state and territory, you can review the links under the “Gambling and Licencing” heading.

Get in touch:

Gambling license Alderney

Where to host a gambling website?

Gambling license report

Where to host a gambling website?

Where to host a gambling website: This is a common recurring theme for new gambling operators starting their new gambling venture.

When we launched our first gambling website back in 2001, we took a $12 per month shared hosting account with a local webhosting company in Florida. We eventually outgreaw the shared account and moved onto a dedicated server to deal with the traffic. Eventually in 2006 we got our gambling license in Curacao and we then moved our servers to the Island. And that is where we remain today.

Today there are some pretty strict rules governing gambling activity and for this reason it is wise to host your websites in a gambling friendly jurisdiction.

Curacao is a jurisdiction that makes it business out of remote gambling licensing activity and for this reason is a very good location for you to start your operation and to put your infrastructure. The odds of your servers being pulled from their racks is low.

We work with a plethora of start up casino operators and offer a simple shared hosting account from around 32.50 EUR to get going. For those needing more resources, we offer a VPS solution.

Our Data Center

We host our servers in E-Commerce Park in Curacao. Our infratructure is managed by OnApp and we focus on VPS and Shared server offerings.

DDOS Protection

Gambling websites do attract DDOS attacks. For this reason the data center uses DDOS mitigation in order to keep our servers up and running. Not only this, we advise our clients to use CloudFlare as part of their stratergy to speed up their sites and to secure them from attacks.

Get in touch or sign up!

If you need assistance with your gambling hosting or need to work wtih a gambling company to assist with your project, then get in touch!

Or pick a package and sign up: gambling hosting servers