Stake glossary

Accumulator (parlay, multi) — A single sports bet that combines several selections. All must win for the bet to pay, and the odds multiply together: three selections at 2.00 each give total odds of 8.00.

Affiliate link — A link that tells a site who referred you. The mirror links on our mirror list are affiliate links; they cost you nothing and do not change your account or odds.

Auto-bet — A setting on Stake Originals that places bets automatically, with rules for raising or lowering the stake after wins and losses. It makes play very fast, so set a stop-loss and a budget first.

Bankroll — The total money you have set aside for gambling, separate from money for living costs. Bankroll management means sizing each bet as a small share of it.

Bet builder (same-game parlay) — A sports bet combining several markets from the same match, such as result, total goals and a player to score. The bookmaker prices the combination because the outcomes are linked.

Blockchain — The public ledger a cryptocurrency runs on. Every deposit and withdrawal is a transaction recorded there and can be looked up with its transaction ID.

Bonus buy (feature buy) — An option on some slots to pay a fixed price, often around 100× the stake, to go straight to the bonus round. Availability depends on your country.

Cash-out — A sportsbook feature that settles a bet before the event ends, for an amount based on current odds. It locks in a profit or cuts a loss, but the offer includes the bookmaker's margin.

Client seed — The random input you control in a provably fair game. You can change it at any time; changing it starts a new sequence of results.

Cold wallet / hot wallet — A hot wallet is connected to the internet for quick payments; a cold wallet is kept offline for security. Casinos keep most funds cold and enough hot to pay withdrawals.

Confirmations — The number of blocks added to a blockchain after the block containing your transaction. Each network needs a certain number before a deposit is credited, so arrival time depends on the coin. See our Bitcoin deposit guide.

Cool-off — A short, fixed break that locks your account for a set period, such as a day or a week. See our responsible gambling guide.

Crash — A game where a multiplier climbs from 1.00× until it "crashes" at a random point. You win if you cash out before the crash. Read our Crash guide.

Decimal odds — The total return per unit staked, including the stake. Odds of 2.50 return 25 on a stake of 10 (15 profit plus the 10 stake). Implied probability is 1 divided by the odds: 2.50 implies 40%.

Deposit address — The unique wallet address the cashier shows for a coin and network. Copy it fresh each time and check the first and last characters after pasting.

Dice — A Stake Original where you choose a target number and whether the roll lands over or under it. Your win chance sets the multiplier. See our Dice guide.

Expected value (EV) — The average result of a bet if it were repeated many times. With a house edge, casino bets have negative EV: a $100 bet on a 1% edge game has an EV of minus $1.

Fractional odds — The British format showing profit relative to stake. 3/2 pays 3 for every 2 staked plus your stake back, the same as decimal 2.50.

Free spins — Spins on a slot that cost you nothing, given by a promotion or triggered inside a game. Promotional free spins often carry wagering on their winnings.

Gas fee (network fee) — The fee paid to the blockchain to process a transaction. On withdrawals the fee is deducted from the amount you send and shown before you confirm.

Handicap (spread) — A sports market that gives one side a head start or deficit to even out a mismatch. A team at −1.5 must win by two or more for the bet to win.

Hash — A fixed-length fingerprint of data produced by a one-way function such as SHA-256. Stake shows the hash of the server seed before you bet, so it cannot be swapped later without detection.

House edge — The casino's built-in advantage on a game, as a percentage of each bet over time. A 1% edge means you lose $1 per $100 wagered on average. House edge is 100% minus RTP.

Implied probability — The chance of an outcome suggested by its odds. Bookmaker probabilities for all outcomes add up to more than 100%; the excess is the margin.

KYC (Know Your Customer) — Identity checks such as a photo ID, proof of address and sometimes proof of funds. Stake can request them at any time, often before larger withdrawals.

Level-up bonus — A one-off reward when you reach a new VIP level. See the Stake VIP guide.

Limbo — A Stake Original where you set a target multiplier and win if the round's random result reaches it. Higher targets win less often. See our Limbo guide.

Live betting (in-play) — Betting on an event while it is happening, with odds that change in real time.

Margin (vig, overround) — The bookmaker's built-in profit on a market. Decimal odds of 1.91 on both sides of a two-way market imply about 52.4% each, about 104.7% in total; the extra is the margin.

Memo / destination tag — An extra identifier some coins (such as XRP, and some exchanges for other coins) need alongside the address to credit the right account. Leaving it out can delay or lose a deposit.

Mines — A Stake Original played on a 5×5 grid where you reveal tiles and avoid hidden mines. More mines mean higher multipliers per safe tile. See our Mines guide.

Mirror — An alternative web address for the same site. Your account, balance and VIP progress are identical on every official mirror. See why Stake mirror domains change.

Moneyline (American odds) — The American odds format. +150 means a profit of 150 on a 100 stake; −200 means you must stake 200 to profit 100.

Multiplier — How much a win pays relative to your stake. A 3× multiplier on $10 returns $30.

Network — The blockchain a coin travels on. Some coins exist on several networks; USDT, for example, is issued on Ethereum (ERC-20), Tron (TRC-20) and others. The network you send on must match the one selected in the cashier. See our USDT deposit guide.

Nonce — A counter that goes up by one with each bet in a provably fair game, so every result from the same pair of seeds is different.

Originals — Games Stake builds itself, such as Dice, Crash, Limbo, Mines and Plinko. They are provably fair and usually have low published house edges.

Payline — A line across a slot's reels on which matching symbols pay. Some slots pay on fixed lines, others in "ways" or clusters.

Plinko — A game where a ball drops through rows of pegs into multiplier slots. You choose the number of rows and a risk level. See our Plinko guide.

Provably fair — A system that lets you verify each game result was fixed before you bet. The casino commits to a hashed server seed, you set a client seed, and each result is calculated from both plus the nonce. After you rotate seeds, the old server seed is revealed so you can recheck past bets.

Push — A bet that neither wins nor loses, such as a tie in blackjack or a handicap that lands exactly on the line. The stake is returned.

Rakeback — A share of the house edge returned to you on each bet, usually through a VIP programme. On Stake it is claimed from the VIP section.

Reality check — A reminder that shows how long you have been playing and, on some sites, your result for the session.

Reload bonus — A bonus claimed on later deposits or at set intervals, after the welcome offer. On Stake, reloads are reported to start at Platinum VIP.

RNG (random number generator) — The software that decides outcomes in digital games. Third-party slots use RNGs tested by independent labs; Stake Originals use the provably fair system.

RTP (return to player) — The share of wagers a game pays back over a very large number of bets. RTP is 100% minus the house edge, so a 96% RTP slot has a 4% edge. Many slots exist in several RTP versions; check the game's information panel.

Self-exclusion — A long-term block on your account, used to stop gambling. On Stake an indefinite exclusion lasts at least six months. See our responsible gambling guide.

Server seed — The random input the casino generates in a provably fair game. Its hash is shown before you bet; the seed itself is revealed when you rotate to a new one.

Stablecoin — A cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value, usually pegged to the US dollar, such as USDT or USDC.

Stake (bet size) — The amount you put on a single bet. Not to be confused with the site.

Sweepstakes casino — A casino model using virtual coins instead of real-money bets, used in the United States. Stake.us is a separate sweepstakes site, not the same as Stake.com.

Tilt — Playing emotionally after a loss or a run of bad luck, usually with bigger or faster bets. A sign to stop for the day.

Transaction ID (TXID, hash) — The unique identifier of a blockchain transaction. Give it to support if a deposit or withdrawal has not arrived.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) — A second login step using a code from an authenticator app. Turn it on in your Stake settings.

Variance (volatility) — How much results swing. High-variance games pay big but rarely; low-variance games pay small but often. Same edge, very different ride.

VIP host — A personal account manager at the higher VIP levels.

VPN — Software that routes your traffic through another server and can make you appear in another country. Using one to hide your location breaks Stake's terms and can lead to a closed account.

Wagering requirement — How many times you must bet a bonus, or a bonus plus deposit, before you can withdraw it. A $100 bonus with 30× wagering on the bonus needs $3,000 in bets.

Wallet — Software or hardware that holds the keys to your crypto. Your Stake balance is held in Stake's wallets; your personal wallet is the one you send from.