iGaming
iGaming is the industry's umbrella term for gambling with real money over the internet, such as online casino games, sports betting, and poker.
Definition
Short for "interactive gaming," iGaming refers to remote, real-money gambling delivered through websites and apps rather than at a physical venue. It spans several verticals — online casino (slots, table games, live dealer), sports betting, poker, bingo, and online lotteries — together with the operators, game studios, platform and aggregation providers, and payment and compliance services that support them. The term is distinct from "gaming" in the video-game sense, and its exact scope varies: some markets and companies use it to mean online casino only, while others include betting and lotteries. Whether a given product is legal, and how it must operate, depends entirely on the player's jurisdiction and the operator's licence.
Worked example
Take a single online slot advertised at an RTP (return to player) of 96%. RTP and house edge always sum to 100%, so the house edge here is 4%. If players collectively stake $1,000,000 on that game over time, the expected amount paid back as winnings is about $960,000, leaving roughly $40,000 as the operator's theoretical gross gaming revenue (GGR = total stakes minus winnings paid). If the operator then grants $8,000 in bonuses and owes $5,000 in gaming taxes and fees, its net gaming revenue (NGR = GGR minus bonuses, fees, and taxes) is about $27,000. These are long-run expectations from the game math; any individual player or session can end up ahead or behind.
Why it matters
iGaming is the foundational label for the entire online gambling sector, so grasping its scope helps a learner map how the pieces — operators, studios, aggregators, regulators, and payment providers — fit together. For professionals, precise use of the term matters because contracts, licences, and market-size figures often hinge on exactly which verticals are counted as "iGaming." Because it involves real money and a genuine risk of harm, it is an adults-only activity (typically 18+ or higher) governed by strict licensing and player-protection rules rather than a way to earn income.
Related
Note: The scope of "iGaming" varies by market and company — some use it for online casino only, others include sports betting and lotteries — so verify which verticals are meant in any given context. Legality, minimum age, licensing, and tax treatment differ by jurisdiction and must be checked locally. The RTP, GGR, and NGR figures are illustrative; actual RTP settings, bonus costs, and tax rates vary by game, operator, and region, and the precise NGR definition can differ slightly between companies. The RTP/house-edge and GGR/NGR relationships themselves are stable definitions.