In the world of iGaming, terms are often misused by marketing teams. At 18Club SG, we define the industry through the lens of math, code, and infrastructure. Use this glossary to gain the technical literacy required to navigate the digital gaming landscape.
Table of Contents
A – E
- API (Application Programming Interface): The “bridge” that allows the casino storefront to communicate with the game provider’s server. It handles balance updates and result delivery.
- Aggregator: A middle-ware platform that bundles games from hundreds of different providers into a single technical integration for a brand.
- Bonus Weighting: A technical constraint where only a percentage of your bet (e.g., 10%) contributes to the turnover requirement, effectively increasing the difficulty of clearing a bonus.
- EV (Expected Value): A mathematical calculation (EV=Bonus−(Wagering×House Edge)) used to determine if a promotion is statistically profitable or not.
F – L
- Hit Frequency: The theoretical percentage of spins that will result in a win of any size. A high hit frequency feels “busy” but does not necessarily mean higher profits.
- House Edge: The mathematical advantage the platform holds over the player, calculated as 100%−RTP%.
- iFrame: The technical window used to display a game on a website. While you see the game on the casino’s page, the iFrame is actually pulling the content directly from the Provider’s server.
- Latency: The delay (measured in milliseconds) between a player’s action and the server’s response. Low latency is critical for live dealer games.
M – R
- PRNG (Pseudo-Random Number Generator): An algorithm that produces sequences of numbers that lack any pattern, used to ensure every game outcome is independent.
- RGS (Remote Gaming Server): The centralized server where the game’s actual math and logic live. This is hosted by the provider (e.g., Pragmatic Play), not the casino.
- RTP (Return to Player): The theoretical percentage of total bet money that a game will pay back to players over a massive cycle of spins (usually millions).
S – Z
- Seed: The starting value used by an RNG to begin its mathematical sequence. Modern seeds are often derived from hardware clocks for maximum randomness.
- Statelessness: A technical property of RNGs meaning they have no memory. The result of the current spin is never influenced by the result of the previous spin.
- Volatility (Variance): The measure of risk. High volatility means infrequent but large payouts; low volatility means frequent but small payouts.
- Wagering Requirement: The number of times a bonus must be played through before it is converted into withdrawable cash.
