Glossary of casino payment and payout terms

Short answer: these are the terms you'll meet in casino cashiers, bonus rules and withdrawal terms, plus the payment systems, regulators and protection schemes in Australia and Canada. Where a definition includes a specific fact — a number, a date, a rule — it comes from the source listed at the end of this page.

Games and maths

RTP (return to player)

The share of all money staked on a game that the game is designed to pay back over a very large number of plays. An RTP of 96% means that, in the long run, 4% of stakes is kept. It says nothing reliable about one session. For Queensland venue gaming machines, the Queensland Government says machines pay out on average between 85% and 92% over the life of the machine — usually 3 to 4 years — and that this is not what happens in a single session. Online, check the RTP in the game's information screen.

House edge

The flip side of RTP: 100% minus the RTP. A game with 96% RTP has a 4% house edge. Multiply it by the total you bet to get a rough expected loss.

Volatility

How a game's returns are spread out. Low-volatility games pay small wins often; high-volatility games pay rarely but sometimes large amounts. Two games with the same RTP can have very different volatility, so your balance can swing much further on one than the other.

Turnover

The total amount you bet, counting every stake, including stakes made with money you won earlier. Wagering requirements are measured in turnover, not in losses.

Bonus terms

Wagering requirement

How many times you must bet a bonus — or a bonus plus your deposit — before winnings can be withdrawn. A 35× requirement on a $100 bonus means $3,500 of turnover. Check whether the multiple applies to the bonus only or to deposit plus bonus. Our wagering calculator works it out.

Game contribution

How much of each bet counts towards a wagering requirement. Terms can count pokies or slots at 100% and other games, such as table games, at a lower rate or not at all. Read the contribution table in the bonus terms.

Maximum bet rule

A cap on the size of any single bet while a bonus is active. Terms can allow the casino to cancel the bonus and its winnings if you go over it.

Maximum cash-out

A cap on how much you can withdraw from winnings made with a bonus or free spins. Under such a term, anything above the cap is forfeited when the bonus converts to withdrawable money.

Withdrawals and verification

KYC (know your customer)

Identity checks a casino runs on its customers — typically proof of identity and address, and sometimes proof of how you paid. The terms say whether this happens at sign-up, at the first withdrawal, or above a threshold. Unfinished KYC can hold up a withdrawal; verifying early removes that delay.

AML (anti-money laundering)

Rules and controls meant to stop gambling and payment services being used to move criminal money. Casino terms often cite AML when they ask for documents, hold a payment for review, or require you to withdraw to the method you deposited with.

Source of funds check

A request to show where the money you deposited came from, such as payslips or bank statements. Casino terms may allow it for larger deposits or withdrawals.

Pending period

Time a withdrawal request waits before the casino starts processing it. Some terms set a fixed pending period; during it, the request has not yet been approved.

Reversal window

A period, often overlapping the pending period, when you can cancel a withdrawal and return the money to your playable balance. If the casino lets you lock a withdrawal once requested, doing so removes the temptation to reverse it and keep playing.

Withdrawal limit

The most you can withdraw per transaction, day, week or month. A large win above the limit is paid in instalments.

Minimum withdrawal

The smallest amount you can withdraw with a given method. If it is higher than your balance, the money stays in the account until the balance grows.

Same-method rule

A common term requiring withdrawals to go back to the method you deposited with, where that method can receive payouts. Terms usually explain what happens when it can't — for example, after a voucher deposit.

Stated withdrawal time

The time an operator says a withdrawal takes, from its own terms. On this site it is always labelled as stated and dated. It is not a measured result — see our methodology.

Payment methods

PayID

A mobile number, email address, ABN or Organisation Identifier linked to an Australian bank account, offered by over 100 financial institutions. When you pay to a PayID, your bank shows you the name linked to it before you send. PayID will never contact you directly; emails or texts claiming to be from PayID are scams.

NPP (New Payments Platform)

Australia's fast payments infrastructure, launched in 2018, connecting over 100 banks, financial institutions and fintechs. Payments can be made and received 24/7, including weekends and public holidays. Osko, PayID and PayTo run over it.

Osko

A fast payment service offered by participating Australian banks through online banking. Payments are typically sent in under a minute, 24/7, to a PayID or to a BSB and account number. Some Osko payments may be held for security checks.

Neosurf

A prepaid payment method: a voucher or a myNeosurf account. Neosurf says it lets you pay online without a credit card and without disclosing personal information. Its pages describe paying, not receiving casino withdrawals, so plan a different method for payouts.

Interac e-Transfer

A Canadian bank-to-bank transfer sent from online banking to an email address or mobile number. Both sides need an account with a participating bank or credit union. With Autodeposit switched on, the money arrives without a security question. What you can send is subject to your bank's or credit union's policies.

Crypto network fee

A fee paid to a blockchain network to process a transaction. It varies with the network and how busy it is, and is separate from any fee the casino charges. Crypto also changes value between deposit and withdrawal.

Regulators and protections: Australia

ACMA

The Australian Communications and Media Authority. Among other roles, it keeps the register of licensed interactive gambling providers, takes complaints about providers that aren't on it, and asks internet providers to block illegal gambling websites.

Register of licensed interactive gambling providers

ACMA's list of providers licensed to offer online gambling to Australians. Its entries are wagering (betting) providers; it had 213 entries when we checked on 14 October 2026. Online casinos are not on it.

Credit ban

From 11 June 2024, you can't use a credit card or digital currency, such as cryptocurrency, to bet with licensed online and telephone wagering services. It also covers funds linked to a credit card, including digital wallets. It doesn't protect you at an offshore casino, which isn't licensed.

BetStop

Australia's national self-exclusion register. It covers all licensed Australian online and phone wagering providers, for a minimum of 3 months up to a lifetime. It does not cover in-venue gambling or illegal services such as online casinos.

Regulators and protections: Canada

AGCO

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. It decides eligibility for and registers igaming operators and suppliers, and sets the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. It can review complaints about regulated sites and penalise operators, but it says it can't get your money back.

iGaming Ontario (iGO)

The Ontario agency that conducts and manages igaming provided through private operators, under operating agreements signed once the AGCO has registered them. It became an independent agency in May 2025. It publishes a directory of sites offered by regulated operators; play is 19+ and you must be physically in Ontario.

BetGuard

iGaming Ontario's centralized self-exclusion tool, launched in May 2026. It lets people aged 19 and older opt out of every site in Ontario's regulated igaming market, including OLG's, for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term.

Self-exclusion

Asking to be blocked from gambling for a set period. A register like BetStop or BetGuard covers every provider in its scope at once. An offshore casino's own self-exclusion option covers only that casino and, possibly, sister brands run by the same operator.

Sites and domains

Offshore casino

A casino run from outside the country and not licensed there. In Australia, GambleAware NSW says offshore gambling operators are not allowed to offer services to Australians and lists the risks: being unable to withdraw winnings, no consumer protection, sites closing suddenly, and unauthorised withdrawals from bank accounts. In Ontario, the AGCO says it has no legal relationship with unregulated igaming operators and doesn't resolve disputes with them.

Mirror domain

A copy of the same casino at a different web address, often numbered — name1.com, name2.com. ACMA's list of blocked gambling websites contains many numbered addresses for the same brands. A new address after a block usually means the same operator, not a new one.

Affiliate link

A tracked link that lets a casino or its affiliate program pay the referring website a commission. On this site they are marked as sponsored; see our affiliate disclosure.

Getting help

• Australia: Gambling Help Online — free, confidential, 24/7 — 1800 858 858.
• Ontario: ConnexOntario — free, confidential, 24/7 — 1-866-531-2600.