Education
Betting & Casino Glossary for Filipino Players
New to online gambling or still unclear on some terms? Here's a plain-English breakdown of the most commonly used words in betting and casino play.
Asian Handicap
A form of sports betting popular in Asia and the Philippines that eliminates the draw outcome by giving a virtual head start or deficit to each team. It levels the playing field between favorites and underdogs, and is standard for football and PBA betting markets.
Over-Under (Totals)
A bet on whether the combined score (or statistic) of a game will be over or under a set number posted by the bookmaker. For example, betting Over 185.5 points in a PBA game means you win if both teams score more than 185 points combined.
Odds Formats
Odds can be expressed in three formats. Decimal (e.g., 2.50) — most common in the Philippines and Europe, means you get ₱250 back for every ₱100 bet. Fractional (e.g., 3/2) — common in UK markets. American (e.g., +150 or -200) — used in US-facing sportsbooks. gl77 uses decimal odds by default.
RTP (Return to Player)
The theoretical percentage of total wagered money a slot or game returns to players over millions of spins. An RTP of 96% means for every ₱100 bet, ₱96 is returned on average over time. Higher RTP is generally better for players, though individual sessions can vary widely.
House Edge
The mathematical advantage the casino has on every bet. It's the flip side of RTP — a game with 96% RTP has a 4% house edge. It doesn't mean you'll lose 4% of every bet; rather, over a very large volume of play, the casino expects to keep about 4% of all money wagered.
Wagering Requirement
Also called rollover, this is the number of times you must bet a bonus amount before you can withdraw it. A 20x wagering requirement on a ₱1,000 bonus means you need to place ₱20,000 in bets before any bonus-derived winnings can be withdrawn.
Live Dealer Casino
Games streamed in real-time from a studio or land-based casino, with an actual human dealer you can see on screen. You place bets through the interface while watching the dealer shuffle cards or spin the roulette wheel live. Popular live games include baccarat, blackjack, roulette, and dragon tiger.
Slot Volatility
Also called variance, this describes how a slot pays out. High-volatility slots pay less frequently but in larger amounts — great for players chasing big wins. Low-volatility slots pay out smaller amounts more regularly, which suits casual play. Medium volatility is a balance between the two.
Progressive Jackpot
A jackpot that grows over time as players across a network of casinos contribute a small percentage of each bet to a shared prize pool. These jackpots can grow to millions of pesos. Once won, they reset to a seed value and start climbing again.
Cashback
A rebate on losses — usually a percentage of your net loss over a week or month, credited back to your account. For example, a 0.5% cashback rate on a net loss of ₱10,000 in a week would return ₱50 to your account. VIP players often receive higher cashback rates.
