Glossary
A plain-English reference for the casino terms you’ll meet in our guides. Skim the alphabet nav to jump to a letter, or scroll through the full list.
A
AGCO
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The provincial regulator overseeing Ontario’s regulated iGaming market alongside iGaming Ontario.
AGLC
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis. Alberta’s regulator. Since July 2026 it registers and oversees the operators in Alberta’s regulated online gambling market; the market itself is run by the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC).
AML
Anti-Money Laundering. Rules that require casinos to verify the source of funds and report suspicious deposits or withdrawals.
C
Cooling-off period
A short, reversible account break (24 hours to a few weeks). Stricter than a deposit limit, lighter than self-exclusion.
Curaçao
A widely used offshore licensing jurisdiction. Lower compliance bar than the MGA or AGCO; common for casinos serving the rest-of-Canada grey market. The old master-licence system (often called Curaçao eGaming) has been replaced: licences are now issued directly by the Curaçao Gaming Authority.
E
eCOGRA
eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. Independent testing body that audits RNGs and certifies casino payout percentages.
H
High roller
A player who stakes large amounts.
Hit frequency
How often a slot returns any payout (winning combination). Distinct from RTP, a slot can have high hit frequency with low average payouts.
House edge
The casino’s mathematical advantage on a game, expressed as a percentage. For European roulette, 2.7%; for single-deck blackjack with optimal play, <1%.
I
iGaming Ontario (iGO)
Provincial agency that runs the day-to-day commercial relationships with AGCO-registered operators in Ontario. Operators sign an operating agreement with iGO.
Interac e-Transfer
Bank-to-bank transfer service from Interac Corp. that moves money between Canadian accounts using only an email address or mobile number. Transfers usually arrive within minutes (up to 30, according to Interac).
K
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
Independent gambling regulator based on the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Quebec. Issues licences to online casinos serving offshore markets, including the rest-of-Canada grey market.
KYC
Know Your Customer. The identity and age checks operators run when you register (in Ontario and Alberta, before the account is opened), and again before a payout if documents are missing.
L
Live dealer
Casino games hosted by a real human dealer, streamed in real time from a studio. Roulette, blackjack, baccarat and game shows are the most common formats.
Loss limit
A self-imposed cap on net losses over a period (daily/weekly/monthly). Useful when a deposit limit alone is too forgiving.
M
MGA
Malta Gaming Authority. Malta’s gambling regulator, which licenses operators and suppliers under Maltese law. Malta is an EU member state.
P
Payout speed
How long it takes from requesting a withdrawal to seeing the funds in your bank. Includes the operator’s internal processing window plus the payment-method clearance time.
Progressive jackpot
A jackpot that grows with every wager across a network until it’s won.
R
Reality check
An on-screen reminder of how long you’ve been playing in the current session. In Ontario, the AGCO’s iGaming standards require that players have the means to track the passage of time (Standard 2.22).
RNG
Random Number Generator. The certified algorithm behind every digital casino game outcome. Audited by eCOGRA or equivalent.
RTP
Return To Player. The long-run percentage of stakes a game returns to players. A 96% RTP slot returns C$96 on every C$100 wagered, on average, over millions of spins.
S
Self-exclusion
A voluntary ban from gambling venues, online accounts, or both, for a set period that depends on the programme.
Session limit
A maximum time per playing session, after which the operator logs you out automatically.
V
Volatility
How a slot’s payouts are distributed. Low-volatility slots pay small amounts often; high-volatility slots pay rarely but in bigger bursts. Same RTP, very different feel.