Glossary

The iGaming B2B vocabulary

Selling into the iGaming industry means knowing the difference between an operator and a provider, a white-label and a turnkey, GGR and NGR. Here are the terms we use across the platform — in plain English.

Company types
Operator
A licensed company that runs the consumer-facing gambling brand (online casino, sportsbook, lottery or bingo site) and holds the relationship with the end player. Operators are the primary buyers in the iGaming supply chain, sourcing games, platforms, payments and compliance tools from vendors.
Provider (vendor / supplier)
Any B2B company that sells products or services into operators rather than to players directly, such as game studios, platform, payments, data or compliance vendors. "Provider" is the broad umbrella term for the sell-side of the industry.
Game studio
A vendor that designs and builds the actual games (slots, table games, crash and instant titles) and licenses them to operators, usually via revenue share. Their game engines and random number generators are typically certified by independent test labs such as GLI, eCOGRA, BMM or iTech Labs before going live in regulated markets.
Aggregator
A vendor that bundles games from many studios behind a single technical integration, so an operator can access hundreds of titles through one connection instead of integrating each studio separately. Aggregators sit between studios and operators and often handle reporting, certification and a unified game lobby.
Platform / PAM provider
A vendor that supplies the core back-end system (Player Account Management) running an operator's site, including registration, wallets, bonusing, deposits and withdrawals, and the player data system of record. The PAM is the operational backbone an operator licenses to launch and run a real-money brand.
Sportsbook / odds supplier
A vendor providing the betting engine, odds (pricing), live in-play data feeds and risk-management tools that power an operator's sports-betting product. Many operators license a third-party sportsbook rather than build their own trading and pricing capability in-house.
Live casino provider
A vendor that operates studios with real human dealers streamed in real time (live roulette, blackjack, baccarat and game shows) and distributes those tables to operators. It is a specialised, capital-intensive segment distinct from RNG-based game studios because it requires physical studios, dealers and streaming infrastructure.
Lottery & bingo supplier
A vendor supplying draw-based, number and ticket games such as online lotteries, instant-win scratchcards and networked bingo rooms, often with shared jackpots across operators. This vertical is frequently regulated separately from casino and sports betting and may involve state or national lottery licensing.
Payment service provider (PSP)
A vendor that processes deposits and withdrawals for operators, connecting them to card networks, bank transfers, e-wallets and local payment methods. Reputable PSPs are PCI DSS compliant and often consolidate many payment options behind a single integration for the operator.
KYC/AML vendor
A compliance-technology supplier providing identity verification (Know Your Customer), age and sanctions screening, anti-money-laundering (AML) monitoring and responsible-gambling checks. Operators rely on these vendors to meet regulatory obligations from bodies such as the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority and other licensing regimes.
Affiliate & affiliate network
Affiliates are marketing partners that drive players to operators in exchange for commission (revenue share, cost-per-acquisition or hybrid), while an affiliate network or platform aggregates many affiliates and tracks the resulting traffic and payouts. They are a major player-acquisition channel rather than a technology supplier.
White-label
A ready-made operator setup where one company supplies the platform, games, payments and often the gambling licence, and a partner launches a branded site on top of it with minimal technical work. The white-label provider carries much of the compliance and infrastructure burden, so the brand owner trades control and margin for speed to market.
Turnkey
A more complete-than-white-label arrangement where a vendor delivers a fully built, ready-to-operate gambling business that the client then runs under its own licence and brand. Compared with white-label, turnkey clients typically own the licence and retain more control over the operation.
Holding company
A parent entity that owns or controls multiple gambling and supplier businesses but usually does not run a consumer brand itself, holding the shares, IP or licences of its subsidiaries. Identifying the holding company reveals true ownership and the real decision-making structure behind a cluster of brands or vendors.
Parent brand / corporate network
The group-level company or family of related brands sitting above individual operator sites, where several consumer brands share ownership, technology, payments or compliance functions. Mapping the corporate network shows which brands are connected, so a sale into one entry point can extend across the whole group.
Products & verticals
iGaming
Umbrella term for online, real-money gambling delivered over the internet, covering casino, sportsbook, poker, bingo and lottery products. On a B2B sales-intelligence platform it defines the total addressable market: the operators and the vendors who supply them.
Vertical
A distinct product category an operator runs, such as casino, sportsbook or poker, each with its own regulation, content suppliers and technology stack. Knowing which verticals an account operates is a core qualifier for matching the right vendor or solution.
Online casino
A gambling product offering software-driven games of chance such as slots, table games and instant wins, settled by a random number generator rather than a physical dealer. The flagship iGaming vertical and the largest buyer of game content, RNG certification and platform services.
Slots
Reel-based casino games where outcomes are determined by a certified random number generator, typically the highest-volume and highest-revenue category inside an online casino. Demand for fresh titles makes slots the main entry point for game-studio and aggregator vendors.
Live casino
Real-money casino games streamed in real time from a studio with a human dealer, letting players bet on physical roulette, blackjack or baccarot via video. It is a separate procurement line from RNG slots, dominated by a few specialist content providers and studio operators.
Sportsbook
A product that accepts bets on the outcomes of sporting events, with the operator setting odds and managing risk across pre-match and in-play markets. Distinct from casino in its reliance on odds feeds, trading and risk-management technology vendors.
Live (in-play) betting
Sportsbook wagering placed while an event is in progress, with odds updating continuously as the action unfolds. It is the most data- and latency-intensive part of a sportsbook, driving demand for low-latency feeds and pricing engines.
Poker
A player-versus-player card vertical where the operator takes a commission (rake) rather than betting against the player, making liquidity and shared player pools the key commercial lever. A specialist segment served by dedicated poker-network and platform vendors.
Bingo
A community game where players match numbers drawn at random against pre-purchased cards, popular as a social, lower-stakes vertical often bundled with slots. Typically supplied through dedicated bingo network platforms that pool players for bigger prizes.
Lottery
A draw-based game where players buy tickets or pick numbers for a chance at a prize pool, sold online by state lotteries and licensed operators. As a vertical it spans government monopolies and private secondary or instant-win products, each with distinct compliance needs.
Crash games
A fast, provably-fair game format where a multiplier rises until it randomly crashes, and players must cash out before it does. A newer instant-game category popular in crypto and emerging markets, supplied by a growing set of original-game studios.
Virtual sports
Computer-generated, RNG-driven simulations of sporting events that run on a fixed schedule and can be bet on like real fixtures, filling gaps between live events. Sourced from specialist content providers and sold as an add-on to the sportsbook.
Esports betting
Sportsbook-style wagering on the outcomes of competitive video-game tournaments such as CS2, Dota 2 and League of Legends. It needs specialist data feeds and integrity monitoring, making it a distinct niche within the broader betting vertical.
Fantasy sports
A skill-oriented format where players draft rosters of real athletes and score points based on those players' real-world performance, with daily fantasy (DFS) being the fast-turnaround variant. Regulated separately from sports betting in many jurisdictions, which shapes who can supply and operate it.
Commercial models
GGR — Gross Gaming Revenue
Total stakes placed by players minus the winnings paid back to them, before any bonuses, taxes, or costs are deducted. It is the headline measure of how much an operator earns from its games and the most common base for revenue-share and tax calculations.
NGR — Net Gaming Revenue
GGR after deducting bonuses, free bets, gaming taxes, and sometimes payment-processing fees. Many B2B deals are settled on NGR rather than GGR because it more closely reflects the operator's actual margin.
Revenue share
A pricing model where a vendor or affiliate is paid an agreed percentage of the GGR or NGR generated by the players or product they supply. It ties supplier income directly to operator performance, so risk and reward are shared on an ongoing basis.
CPA — Cost Per Acquisition
A flat one-off fee paid for each new depositing or qualifying player delivered, regardless of how much that player later spends. Common in affiliate and marketing deals because it gives the operator a fixed, predictable cost per customer.
Hybrid deal
A commercial arrangement that combines a CPA payment up front with an ongoing revenue share on the same players. It balances immediate cash for the supplier with longer-term upside if the acquired players prove valuable.
Flat / licence fee
A fixed recurring charge (monthly or annual) for access to a platform, game content, or service, independent of how much revenue it generates. It gives both sides budget predictability and is typical for software, data, and tooling vendors selling into operators.
Minimum guarantee
A floor on payments in a revenue-share or licensing deal, ensuring the supplier earns at least a set amount even if performance is low. It protects the vendor's downside and is often paired with revenue share in larger contracts.
RTP — Return To Player
The percentage of total wagered money a game is designed to pay back to players over the long run, e.g. 96% RTP returns $96 of every $100 staked on average. It is a configurable, regulator-disclosed game setting that directly shapes operator margin and player appeal.
House edge / margin
The mathematical advantage the operator keeps on a game, equal to 100% minus the RTP (a 96% RTP game has a 4% house edge). It defines the theoretical long-run revenue an operator earns per unit wagered.
Hold
The actual share of total wagers an operator retains as revenue over a real period, as opposed to the theoretical house edge. Hold can differ from the house edge because of variance, player behaviour, and bonus activity, making it a key operational KPI.
ARPU — Average Revenue Per User
Total revenue (usually GGR or NGR) divided by the number of active players over a period. It is a core monetisation metric operators track and a useful signal for vendors sizing the value of an operator's player base.
Player LTV — Lifetime Value
The total net revenue an operator expects to earn from a player across their entire relationship, after acquisition and bonus costs. It sets the ceiling on what an operator can profitably pay to acquire and retain that player.
CAC — Customer Acquisition Cost
The fully loaded cost of acquiring one new player, including marketing spend, bonuses, and affiliate or CPA payouts. Operators stay profitable only when player LTV comfortably exceeds CAC, which is why acquisition pricing is scrutinised so closely.
Churn
The rate at which players stop being active or depositing over a given period. High churn erodes LTV and forces operators to spend more on acquisition, making retention tooling and re-engagement services a recurring B2B sales opportunity.
Licensing & compliance
Jurisdiction
The legal territory whose laws govern how an operator may run iGaming, defined by where it is licensed and where its players sit. For B2B targeting it shapes which operators are addressable, what compliance obligations apply, and which vendors they are allowed to buy from.
Licence (license)
The regulatory permission that authorises an operator to offer real-money gambling in a given jurisdiction, usually tied to specific verticals such as casino, sportsbook, or poker. A licensed operator is a higher-confidence, more durable sales target because it is legally established and subject to ongoing oversight.
Curaçao licence
A long-standing offshore licence from Curaçao that is cheap and fast to obtain and historically covered many verticals under one permit, making it common among smaller or newer operators. As of 2024 Curaçao restructured into a direct licensing regime under its Gaming Control Board, so legacy sub-licensees are migrating; for B2B it often signals a lighter-touch, lower-budget buyer.
MGA
The Malta Gaming Authority, one of the most established and respected EU-facing regulators, issuing B2C operator licences and B2B supplier licences. An MGA licence signals a credible, well-capitalised operator and is a strong qualification signal for B2B vendors.
UKGC
The UK Gambling Commission, the regulator for gambling in Great Britain and one of the strictest in the world on AML, affordability checks, and responsible gambling. UKGC-licensed operators face heavy compliance demands, which drives demand for compliance, KYC, and player-protection vendors.
Gibraltar
A British Overseas Territory and respected gambling hub whose Gibraltar Regulatory Authority licenses many large, established operators headquartered there for tax and regulatory reasons. A Gibraltar licence typically indicates a tier-one, mature operator and a high-value B2B prospect.
AGCO / iGaming Ontario
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario regulates Ontario's open iGaming market, while iGaming Ontario (iGO) is the conduct-and-manage body operators contract with to go live legally. Registration with both is required to serve Ontario players, and it marks an operator as committed to a regulated North American market.
Kahnawake
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, a long-running regulator based in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake (Canada) that licenses operators and hosting providers. It is an older, lighter-touch jurisdiction, so a Kahnawake-only licence usually points to a smaller or legacy operator rather than a tier-one brand.
GLI
Gaming Laboratories International, a leading independent test lab that certifies gaming software, RNGs, and platforms against jurisdictional technical standards such as GLI-19. A GLI certificate is a procurement checkpoint operators look for when evaluating B2B game and platform suppliers.
eCOGRA
An independent testing agency and standards body that audits operators and game suppliers for fairness, payout accuracy, and responsible-operator practices, awarding a recognisable seal of approval. For B2B it signals an operator that invests in third-party trust and player-protection assurance.
RNG certification
Independent verification that a Random Number Generator produces statistically fair, unpredictable outcomes, issued by test labs such as GLI, eCOGRA, or iTech Labs. It is a baseline requirement in most regulated markets and a standard due-diligence item when operators source games.
AML / KYC
Anti-Money-Laundering rules and Know-Your-Customer identity checks that operators must run to verify players and detect illicit funds. These obligations create ongoing budget for verification, monitoring, and screening vendors, especially in strict jurisdictions like the UK.
Source of funds (SoF)
An enhanced AML check requiring a player to evidence where their money comes from, typically triggered by high deposits or risk flags. SoF workflows drive demand for document-collection, risk-scoring, and case-management tools sold into operator compliance teams.
Responsible gambling
Operator practices and tools that limit gambling-related harm, such as deposit limits, self-exclusion, reality checks, and at-risk player detection, often mandated by the regulator. It is a growing compliance spend area and a clear vertical for player-protection and analytics vendors.
Geo-blocking
Technology that detects a user's location and blocks access from jurisdictions where the operator is not licensed, keeping it within its legal footprint. It is core to compliant market entry and feeds demand for geolocation, fraud, and compliance-tech suppliers.
Grey vs black market
Grey markets are jurisdictions where online gambling is unregulated or tolerated but not expressly prohibited, while black markets are where it is explicitly illegal. The distinction shapes an operator's risk profile and which markets it can defensibly target, and signals how compliance-mature a B2B prospect is likely to be.
Technology & integration
iGaming platform / PAM
The core operator system, where PAM stands for Player Account Management — it holds player accounts, balances, KYC status, bonuses and transaction history, and ties together every other module (games, payments, CRM). When selling to operators, the PAM is the system your product usually has to integrate with.
API integration
A technical connection that lets two systems exchange data automatically, typically over REST or webhooks. For vendors it is the main way a product plugs into an operator's stack, so an operator's available APIs and integration effort directly shape how easy you are to buy.
Game aggregation API
A single integration that gives an operator access to many game studios at once through one technical connection, instead of integrating each studio separately. Aggregators sit between studios and operators, so it matters whether your offering competes with, or plugs into, that layer.
RGS (remote game server)
The server that runs a game's logic and outcomes (bets, spins, results, RTP) remotely and streams them to the player's screen via the operator. It is the backend that game studios and aggregators expose, and a common integration point for content and tooling vendors.
Player wallet
The component that tracks a player's real-money and bonus balances across products and handles deposits, bets, wins and withdrawals. A single ("shared" or "seamless") wallet across casino, sportsbook and other verticals is a common operator requirement that affects how integrations must handle funds.
Sportsbook engine / odds feed
The sportsbook engine prices, manages and settles bets, while the odds feed is the live stream of prices and events (often from a specialist data supplier) that powers it. Operators may run their own engine, license a turnkey one, or buy only the data feed — which determines who you actually sell to.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management — software operators use to segment players and run lifecycle communications (email, SMS, push, bonuses) to drive retention and reactivation. In iGaming the CRM is closely tied to the PAM and bonus engine, and is a frequent target for marketing, automation and data vendors.
BI & analytics
Business Intelligence and analytics tools that turn raw operator data into dashboards and reports on revenue, player value, churn and game performance. The maturity of an operator's BI stack signals how data-driven their buying is and where reporting or data-quality products can add value.
Data warehouse
A central database that consolidates data from many source systems (PAM, payments, CRM, games) for large-scale analysis and reporting. Whether an operator has a real warehouse versus scattered databases shapes integration options for analytics, attribution and data-enrichment products.
Omnichannel
An operator setup where online and physical (retail) channels share player accounts, wallets and data so the experience is consistent across web, mobile and venue. Omnichannel ambitions create demand for integration, identity and data-unification products that bridge the channels.
Retail / land-based
The physical side of gambling — betting shops, casinos, terminals and venue hardware — as opposed to purely online play. Many operators are hybrids, so knowing whether a target is online-only, retail-only or both tells you which products and compliance needs are relevant.
Vertical
A distinct product line an operator offers — for example online casino, sportsbook, poker, bingo, lottery or virtual sports. Which verticals an operator runs determines the platforms, suppliers and regulations involved, and therefore whether your offering is a fit.
Turnkey / white-label
Outsourced operator setups: turnkey provides the full platform that a licensee runs under its own brand and license, while white-label lets a brand operate under the provider's platform and often its license. This matters for vendors because the platform provider, not the visible brand, is frequently the real buyer and integration owner.
Data & intelligence
Firmographics
The company-level attributes used to describe and segment a business account, such as industry/vertical, size, revenue, geography, and corporate structure. They are the B2B equivalent of demographics and are the foundation for targeting operators and vendors.
Technographics
Data about the technologies a company uses, such as its game providers, payment processors, platform/aggregator, KYC tools, and martech stack. For iGaming vendors this reveals integration fit and displacement opportunities before the first outreach.
Firmographics vs. technographics
Firmographics describe who the company is (size, vertical, jurisdiction); technographics describe what it runs (its tech stack). Used together they qualify an account for both relevance and product fit.
Deal signal
A timely, observable event that suggests a buying or partnership opportunity, such as a new license, market launch, funding round, award, or a relevant executive hire. Signals tell sellers when an account is worth contacting, not just whether it fits.
Intent data
Signals indicating an account is actively researching or in-market for a solution, inferred from behaviour such as content consumption, search activity, or repeated engagement. It helps prioritise accounts that are likely to be receptive right now.
Decision-maker
The person with the authority to approve a purchase or partnership, distinct from the influencers and users who shape the decision. In iGaming this is often a Head of Payments, Head of Product, CTO, or compliance lead depending on what is being sold.
Enrichment
The process of adding missing or higher-quality data to a record, such as appending verified contact details, firmographics, or technographics to a company or person. It turns a thin lead into an actionable, well-rounded profile.
Lead scoring
Assigning a numeric or tiered rank to leads and accounts based on fit (firmographics/technographics) and behaviour (intent and signals), so sales focuses on the most promising opportunities first. Scores make prioritisation consistent rather than gut-driven.
ICP — Ideal Customer Profile
A precise definition of the company type that gets the most value from your offering and is the best to sell to, expressed through firmographic, technographic, and signal criteria. It anchors targeting, scoring, and territory planning.
Account-based marketing (ABM)
A go-to-market approach that treats individual high-value accounts as markets of one, coordinating sales and marketing around a defined list rather than broad lead generation. It suits iGaming's relatively small, high-value pool of operators and vendors.
TAM / SAM / SOM
Market-sizing layers: TAM (Total Addressable Market) is total demand if you reached everyone, SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market) is the share you can serve given your product and geography, and SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market) is the realistic portion you can actually win. They scope opportunity and set targets.
Sales intelligence
Data and tooling that help sellers find, qualify, and reach the right accounts and people, combining firmographics, technographics, contacts, and signals. It powers prospecting and outreach at the individual-deal level.
Market intelligence
Aggregated insight into a market's structure, trends, competitors, and regulation, used for strategy and planning rather than individual outreach. In iGaming it tracks where operators are launching, which licenses are issued, and how verticals are shifting.
Data hygiene
The ongoing practice of keeping records accurate, current, deduplicated, and complete by removing stale, invalid, or duplicate entries. Good hygiene protects deliverability, scoring accuracy, and trust in the data.
Suppression list
A controlled list of people or companies that must be excluded from outreach or data sharing, for reasons such as opt-outs, unsubscribes, bounces, or legal requests. Honouring it is essential for compliance and sender reputation.
GDPR legal basis
Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the lawful ground that justifies processing personal data, with legitimate interest and consent being the most common for B2B prospecting. Every contact record should carry the basis on which it is held and used.
Provenance
The documented origin and history of a data point, recording where it came from, when it was collected, and how it has changed. Provenance underpins trust, auditability, and the ability to defend a record's compliance status.
Key questions, answered
What is a platform provider?
In iGaming, a platform (or PAM) provider supplies the core back-end — player accounts, wallet, bonusing, reporting and the system of record — that an operator licenses to run a real-money brand.
What is a white-label casino?
A white-label casino is a turnkey setup where a brand launches on another company's licence and platform, focusing on marketing and players while the provider carries most of the compliance and tech burden.
What is the iGaming revenue share model?
Revenue share is a B2B deal where a provider earns an agreed percentage of the GGR (or NGR) a product generates, instead of a flat fee — aligning the vendor's income with the operator's performance.
B2B vs B2C iGaming — what's the difference?
B2C iGaming companies run player-facing gambling brands; B2B iGaming companies sell software, games, payments or data to those operators. iGaming Operators is strictly a B2B data platform.
iGaming affiliate meaning, explained
An iGaming affiliate markets operators' brands to players for commission (revenue share, CPA or hybrid); affiliate networks aggregate many affiliates and operators behind one relationship.
iGaming license types, explained
The main iGaming license types are issued per jurisdiction — MGA (Malta), UKGC (UK), Curaçao, Gibraltar, AGCO/iGaming Ontario — each with a different scope, cost and compliance bar.
What is a game aggregator?
A game aggregator bundles many game studios behind a single integration, so an operator can offer hundreds of titles through one API instead of integrating each studio separately.
What is a payment service provider in iGaming?
A payment service provider (PSP) processes deposits and withdrawals for operators, connecting them to card networks, e-wallets and local methods; reputable iGaming PSPs are PCI-DSS compliant.
What is a sportsbook provider?
A sportsbook provider supplies the betting engine, odds/trading and risk management an operator needs to run sports betting — delivered turnkey or via API.
What is a turnkey casino?
A turnkey casino is a fully built operator platform — licence, payments, games and support — leased to a brand so it can launch quickly without building everything from scratch.
What is an aggregator in iGaming?
An aggregator is a provider that unifies content from many studios behind one integration, simplifying how operators access games, reporting and a single unified game lobby.
What is GGR in iGaming?
GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) is total player stakes minus winnings paid out — the headline revenue metric in gambling, and the base most B2B revenue-share deals are calculated on.
What is a PAM platform in iGaming?
A PAM (Player Account Management) platform runs player accounts, wallet, bonusing, KYC hooks and reporting — the operational backbone an operator licenses to run a brand.
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