SG777 Glossary — Casino Terms, Explained Plainly

Each of these terms is everywhere on casino pages, while explanations are close to nonexistent. Each entry covers the definition, the usual misreading and a worked example with the calculation completed; the reason is that most of these terms trip people up in a specific, predictable way, not because they are new.

Everything in this section

The 8 pages each take a single entry and do not roll several into one. For fields above reading “not published”, look to the individual entry’s page: it says whose job publishing the figure would have been.

Each entry in a paragraph

Read this much on each and you will know which page to open.

Loss limit in full

Short for a responsible-gambling tool. The platform enforces a pre-set loss cap for a chosen period, which takes the job away from in-session willpower.

Fixed by: The operator’s system enforces it, but the player sets it in account settings. Seen on: Responsible gambling and account settings pages.

The misreading: There is a view that loss limits serve only players already in difficulty.

Progressive jackpot explained

The prize pool rises with a share of each qualifying stake and stays open until someone takes it.

Fixed by: The party, whether a studio or a jackpot network, that pools together the contributions. Where you meet it: Network jackpot pages, and the jackpot tickers displayed over the reels.

The misreading: A big jackpot can be mistaken for better odds.

Hit frequency, in detail

Short for also called hit rate. A measure of the portion of spins that produce any win, no matter how small, and not of the total returned over time.

Fixed by: The developing studio, which fixes it within the paytable and reel maths. Where you meet it: In spec sheets and the info panels of studios, and rarer there than RTP.

The misreading: Many take a high hit frequency as proof that a game is ‘looser’ or pays back more.

Turnover in full

Short for also called handle. All the money staked during a period of play, tallied on every wager rather than once for each deposit.

Fixed by: Arising from play and captured by the operator’s platform. Where you meet it: Statements on responsible gambling, bonus terms, and the history of account activity.

The misreading: Deposit totals and balances are commonly mistaken for turnover.

Free spins explained

A round of spins given as part of a feature, with no further stake needed.

Fixed by: It is the game studio for a game feature and the operator for a promotion. Where you meet it: Within game feature lists, as well as on their own in bonus terms.

The misreading: An operator’s promotional free spins and a free-spin round inside the game are two separate things, even though the name is the same.

Bet unit, in detail

Short for also called stake size. This is the stake for a single spin or hand, worked out as a share of the bankroll instead of an arbitrary figure.

Fixed by: The player decides it, and it works best when scaled to the bankroll and to how volatile the selected game is. Where you meet it: The stake selectors found on a betting panel in a game.

The misreading: Whether a bet unit is safe is often judged by its size alone, and a small one is assumed safe.

The RTP entry

Short for return to player. Expressed as a percentage, it is the portion of total wagered money that a game gives back to players in the long run.

Fixed by: Whichever studio built the game, when it is a game matter. Expect to see it inside game spec tables or on studio info panels.

The misreading: People often misread a 96% RTP as meaning 96% of their money comes back in a single evening.

Wild symbol in full

It replaces other symbols so that a winning combination is formed.

The game studio decides it, and the paytable records it. Where to find it: a game’s paytable and feature list

The misreading: A usual misunderstanding is that wilds replace everything on the reels.

Check glossary details in the game itself

Not one definition here relies on what this site says to be accepted. Each can be compared with what the game itself shows:

1. Open any slot’s own information screen. The primary source behind every mechanical term defined here is in the game, namely the paytable, the way-count and the feature rules.
2. Compare a way-count against the grid. Take a 5x4 grid evaluated as 1,024 ways: 4 to the power of 5 gives that count, so it describes the grid’s geometry and says nothing of how generous the game is.
3. A summary is no substitute for the operator’s own conditions when you need a bonus term. A wagering requirement is a multiplier, and the figure it applies to, bonus only or bonus plus deposit, can double or halve the result.
4. Treat a studio’s silence on RTP as a cue to hold the two sources quoting a number up against each other. Compare the two on JILI titles and you will see them split by as much as two points, so neither is authoritative.

The thing most often got wrong here

No error comes up more often, across all these terms, than thinking the casino sets them. Usually it does not, as RTP, volatility, paylines, wilds and scatters are locked in by the studio during development and the site carrying the game cannot touch them.

Only the wagering requirement differs, because the operator writes it into its own bonus terms. Every listing carries a clear label for the two possibilities, because filing a complaint with the wrong one is wasted effort.

Putting these glossary to work in the lobby you play at

1. Start any game in the lobby you use and look for its info or help screen.
2. RTP, volatility and maximum win are what to look for here, with the definitions above as your guide.
3. Let your budget decide the volatility: lower volatility helps a small balance last.
4. Choose a loss limit up front, and walk away when you reach it.