term,preferred_term,section_letter,section,definition,preferred_phrasing_note,source_url,source_note,source_status,term_slug
Lapse,,A,Recovery language,"A single return to gambling after a period of not gambling. A lapse is one event, not the end of recovery, and most people who stop gambling have one at some point. Treating a lapse as a data point — what happened right before it — is more useful than treating it as proof of failure.","""had a lapse"" or ""gambled once after stopping."" Avoid ""slipped up,"" which sounds careless, and avoid ""fell off the wagon.""",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,lapse
Relapse,,A,Recovery language,"A return to a previous pattern of gambling, not just a single bet — the behavior comes back and stays back for a while. Clinically it is treated the same way a return of symptoms is treated in any chronic condition: as a signal to adjust the plan, not as a moral event.","""experienced a relapse"" or ""a recurrence of symptoms."" Never ""relapser.""",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,relapse
Recurrence,,A,Recovery language,"The clinical-language alternative to ""relapse."" It frames the return of gambling the way medicine frames the return of any chronic illness — expected in some cases, treatable, and not a character failure. Increasingly preferred in public-health writing for exactly that reason.","Use ""recurrence"" in clinical and journalistic writing; ""relapse"" is acceptable when the person uses it about themselves.",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,recurrence
Chasing losses,,A,Recovery language,"Betting more, or betting faster, specifically to win back money already lost. It is one of the listed diagnostic features of gambling disorder and is often the moment casual gambling turns into harm, because the goal stops being entertainment and becomes recovery of the money.","""chasing losses"" is descriptive, not stigmatizing — it is safe to use.",https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm,,sourced,chasing-losses
Urge,,A,Recovery language,"A strong pull to gamble, usually arriving as a physical feeling before it arrives as a thought. Urges rise, peak, and fall on their own, typically within 20–30 minutes, whether or not you act on them.","""an urge"" rather than ""weakness"" or ""temptation.""",https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/faqs-what-is-problem-gambling/,,sourced,urge
Craving,,A,Recovery language,"A sustained wanting that can last longer than a single urge and is often tied to a cue — a notification, a game starting, a payday. In research the words ""urge"" and ""craving"" are often used interchangeably; in practice, craving usually names the longer, quieter version.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/faqs-what-is-problem-gambling/,,sourced,craving
Urge surfing,,A,Recovery language,"A coping skill in which you notice an urge, describe what it feels like in the body, and wait it out without acting — riding it like a wave instead of fighting it. It works because urges are time-limited; the skill removes the need to win an argument with yourself.",safe to use as written.,https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,urge-surfing
Trigger,,A,Recovery language,"Anything that reliably sets off an urge: a place, a person, a time of day, an emotion, an app icon, an odds graphic during a game. Triggers are personal, and naming yours is the first move in most relapse-prevention plans.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/problem-gambling-treatment-options/,,sourced,trigger
High-risk situation,,A,Recovery language,"The specific circumstances in which someone is most likely to gamble — Sunday afternoon alone, a bonus notification, a fight, a payday. Relapse-prevention work is largely the work of listing these in advance and deciding what happens instead.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/problem-gambling-treatment-options/,,sourced,high-risk-situation
Tilt,,A,Recovery language,"Poker and sports-betting slang for gambling while emotionally flooded — angry, panicked, or euphoric — and making decisions you would not make calm. Tilt is where the biggest single-session losses usually happen, because the money stops being a number and becomes an argument.","""on tilt"" is industry slang and is fine in quotes; in plain writing say ""gambling while emotionally overwhelmed.""",,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located; definition reflects consistent common usage.,unsourced,tilt
Abstinence,,A,Recovery language,"Not gambling at all. It is the goal most treatment programs and peer-support fellowships aim at, and for many people with a gambling disorder it is the only stable outcome — partly because gambling products are engineered to escalate.","""abstinence"" or ""not gambling."" Avoid ""clean,"" which implies the alternative is dirty.",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,abstinence
Moderation,,A,Recovery language,"Continuing to gamble but within limits a person sets — money, time, or product. Moderation is a legitimate goal for some people, particularly those with lower-severity problems, and a poor fit for others; the evidence supports offering both goals rather than insisting on one.","""moderation"" or ""reduced gambling,"" not ""controlled gambling,"" which overstates the control.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/problem-gambling-treatment-options/,,sourced,moderation
Harm reduction,,A,Recovery language,"An approach that aims to reduce the damage gambling causes even when someone is not ready to stop — deposit limits, blocking the worst products, protecting the rent money. It does not compete with abstinence; it keeps people alive and solvent long enough to choose it.",safe to use as written.,https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,harm-reduction
Recovery,,A,Recovery language,"The process of building a life in which gambling no longer runs the decisions — not just the absence of betting but the presence of money, relationships, sleep, and time that gambling had taken. Recovery is defined by the person living it, and most definitions now include improvement rather than only abstinence.","""in recovery,"" never ""recovered addict.""",https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,recovery
Recovery capital,,A,Recovery language,"The total resources a person can draw on to get and stay well: money, housing, a job, family, health, community, and their own skills and beliefs. It explains why two people with identical gambling histories have very different outcomes, and why gambling debt is so corrosive — it directly drains the capital recovery runs on.",safe to use as written.,https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,recovery-capital
Natural recovery,,A,Recovery language,"Getting better without formal treatment or a support group. It is the most common route out of gambling problems and it is badly under-counted, because the people who take it never appear in any treatment or helpline statistic.","""natural recovery"" or ""self-change.""",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,natural-recovery
Remission,,A,Recovery language,A period during which someone no longer meets the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder. The DSM-5 distinguishes early remission (3–12 months) from sustained remission (12 months or longer).,safe to use as written; it is the clinically precise term.,https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm,,sourced,remission
Gambling-free date,,A,Recovery language,"The date a person last gambled, used as the anchor for counting days. The equivalent of a ""sober date"" in alcohol recovery, and the number most recovery apps and fellowships build their milestones around.","""gambling-free date"" or ""bet-free date."" Avoid ""clean date.""",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,gambling-free-date
Sober date,,A,Recovery language,"The general-recovery term for the date someone stopped. In gambling recovery many people prefer ""gambling-free date,"" because ""sober"" reads as alcohol and can make gambling harm feel like it does not count.","""gambling-free date"" when writing specifically about gambling.",https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,sober-date
Streak,,A,Recovery language,"The running count of consecutive gambling-free days. A streak is a motivational tool, not a medical measure — its weakness is that a single lapse zeroes a number that represented months of real change, which is why good recovery design keeps the journal, the lessons, and the community intact when the streak resets.",safe to use as written.,,[UNSOURCED — product usage] Common across recovery apps; no authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,streak
Self-exclusion,,A,Recovery language,"A formal, usually legally binding request to be barred from gambling — filed with a state regulator, a multi-state program, or an individual operator. Once enrolled, the operator is obliged to close the account, stop marketing, and refuse entry or wagers for the chosen term. It is the single strongest tool a person in recovery can use, and no app can enroll anyone; only the person and the regulator or operator can.","safe to use as written. Do not describe self-exclusion as a ""ban"" imposed on someone — it is requested by them.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/help-by-state/,,sourced,self-exclusion
Cool-off,,A,Recovery language,"A short operator-side pause — commonly 24 hours to 30 days — during which you cannot deposit or bet, set from inside your own account. It is reversible by expiry, not by asking, and it is the lowest-friction tool on this list.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,cool-off
Time-out,,A,Recovery language,"Effectively a synonym for cool-off; most operators use one word or the other for the same feature, and a few use both for different lengths. Because the naming is inconsistent between books, always check the actual duration and what it blocks rather than trusting the label.","""time-out (a short account pause)"" — define it on first use, because it is not standardized.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,time-out
Timeout (technical),,A,Recovery language,"An unrelated computing term for a session expiring after inactivity. Worth separating from the recovery sense because the two appear on the same screens: an operator ""timeout"" may just mean you were logged out, not that you paused your account.","avoid using ""timeout"" to mean a self-imposed break; use ""cool-off.""",,[UNSOURCED — general computing usage],unsourced,timeout-technical
Self-exclusion vs. cool-off vs. time-out,,A,Recovery language,"The practical difference is who can undo it and how wide it reaches. Cool-off / time-out: you set it, one operator, short, ends on its own. Self-exclusion: filed with a regulator or operator, longer (often one year, five years, or lifetime), covers every licensed operator in the program, and generally cannot be cancelled before it expires. If you only take one action, take the self-exclusion.","always state duration, scope, and reversibility — those three facts are what people actually need.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/help-by-state/,,sourced,self-exclusion-vs-cool-off-vs-time-out
Relapse prevention,,A,Recovery language,"A structured plan built while things are stable: your triggers, your early warning signs, who you call, what you do in the first ten minutes of an urge, and what happens if you gamble anyway. It is the most-studied behavioral component of addiction treatment and works better written down than remembered.",safe to use as written.,https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,relapse-prevention
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT),,A,Recovery language,"A short-term, structured talking therapy that targets the specific thoughts that drive gambling — ""I'm due,"" ""I can win it back"" — and the behaviors that follow them. It has the strongest evidence base of any psychological treatment for gambling disorder.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/problem-gambling-treatment-options/,,sourced,cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cbt
Motivational interviewing,,A,Recovery language,"A conversational method that helps someone find their own reasons to change rather than being argued into it. It is especially effective early, when a person is not yet sure they have a problem, and it is why good helpline operators ask questions instead of giving lectures.",safe to use as written.,https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,motivational-interviewing
Cognitive distortion,,A,Recovery language,"A belief about gambling that is factually wrong but feels true while gambling — that a machine is ""hot,"" that a loss streak means a win is coming, that skill improves a coin flip. These beliefs are a core treatment target because they are what makes continued betting feel rational.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/problem-gambling-treatment-options/,,sourced,cognitive-distortion
Gambler's fallacy,,A,Recovery language,"The belief that past random results change future odds — that red is ""due"" after five blacks. Each spin, hand, or coin flip is independent; the fallacy is one of the most reliable findings in the psychology of gambling.",safe to use as written.,https://www.1800gambler.net/facts-fallacies,,sourced,gambler-s-fallacy
Illusion of control,,A,Recovery language,"The feeling that a personal action changes a random outcome — choosing your own numbers, blowing on dice, timing a button press. Many products are deliberately designed to give you buttons that do nothing, because the feeling of agency keeps people playing.",safe to use as written.,https://www.1800gambler.net/facts-fallacies,,sourced,illusion-of-control
Near miss,,A,Recovery language,"An outcome that looks close to a win but is a loss — two jackpot symbols and a third one line off, a parlay where one leg failed. Near misses trigger reward responses in the brain similar to actual wins and are engineered into product design rather than occurring by chance.",safe to use as written.,https://www.1800gambler.net/facts-fallacies,,sourced,near-miss
Dissociation,,A,Recovery language,"The state of losing track of time, money, and surroundings while gambling — sometimes described as ""the zone"" or ""the machine zone."" For many people it is the actual draw: not winning, but not being present.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/faqs-what-is-problem-gambling/,,sourced,dissociation
Escape gambling,,A,Recovery language,"Gambling primarily to get away from something — anxiety, grief, boredom, a marriage — rather than to win. It is one of the listed diagnostic features of gambling disorder and tends to predict a different treatment path than gambling driven by action and competition.",safe to use as written.,https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm,,sourced,escape-gambling
Bailout,,A,Recovery language,"When family, friends, or a lender cover gambling debts. Repeated bailouts are a diagnostic feature of gambling disorder, and they are the most common way harm spreads from one person to a household.","safe to use as written; avoid framing the family as ""enabling,"" which blames the wrong person.",https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm,,sourced,bailout
Affected other,,A,Recovery language,"A partner, parent, child, or friend harmed by someone else's gambling. Research consistently finds several affected others for every person gambling, and helplines serve them directly — NCPG states plainly that loved ones can contact the helpline for themselves.","""affected other"" or ""family member affected by gambling,"" not ""codependent.""",https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/about-the-national-problem-gambling-helpline/,,sourced,affected-other
Peer support,,A,Recovery language,"Help from other people who have lived the same thing — meetings, forums, sponsors, recovery communities. It is not therapy and does not replace it, but it addresses the isolation that therapy alone usually does not.",safe to use as written.,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/peer-support-resources/,,sourced,peer-support
Co-occurring condition,,A,Recovery language,"Another mental-health or substance condition present alongside gambling disorder. Co-occurrence is the norm rather than the exception, which is why screening for gambling inside general mental-health services catches people no gambling-specific service ever sees.","""co-occurring conditions,"" not ""dual diagnosis"" (dated) and never ""comorbid"" in consumer writing.",https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,co-occurring-condition
Recovery pathway,,A,Recovery language,"The route a particular person takes — treatment, peer support, self-exclusion, medication for a co-occurring condition, natural recovery, or some mix. There is no single correct pathway, and public messaging that implies one drives people away from the others.",safe to use as written.,https://www.recoveryanswers.org/addiction-ary/,,sourced,recovery-pathway
Parlay,,B,Industry and product terms,"A single bet that combines two or more outcomes, all of which must win for the bet to pay. Parlays pay more because they are much harder to win, and the sportsbook's margin on them is far higher than on single bets — which is why they are marketed hardest.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] Standard industry definition; no authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,parlay
Same-game parlay (SGP),,B,Industry and product terms,"A parlay whose legs all come from one game — the quarterback's yards, the final score, a particular player scoring. The legs are correlated, the pricing is opaque, and the house margin is typically the highest of any mainstream sports product.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,same-game-parlay-sgp
Prop bet,,B,Industry and product terms,"A wager on something inside a game other than the result — how many rebounds a player gets, whether there is a score in the first five minutes. Props multiply the number of things to bet on in a single event, which is what turns one game into dozens of decisions.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,prop-bet
Micro-betting,,B,Industry and product terms,"Betting on the very next discrete event — the next pitch, the next play, the next point — settled within seconds. The short gap between wager and outcome is the feature most associated in the research literature with escalation and loss of control, and it is the fastest-growing sports product.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/safer-sports-betting/,"— definition partially unsourced; the harm framing is NCPG's, the mechanical definition is industry usage.",partial,micro-betting
Live betting (in-play),,B,Industry and product terms,"Betting placed after an event has started, with odds recalculating continuously. In-play betting removes the natural stopping point that pre-game betting has, and research has repeatedly associated it with higher-risk gambling.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/safer-sports-betting/,,sourced,live-betting-in-play
Cash out,,B,Industry and product terms,"An option to settle a bet early for less than the full potential payout. It feels like control and is priced to the operator's advantage; over time, consistently cashing out costs money, and it adds a decision point to every minute of a game.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,cash-out
Odds boost,,B,Industry and product terms,"A promotion that temporarily improves the price on a specific bet. Boosts are marketing, not generosity: they steer betting toward products the operator wants volume on, usually parlays, and they are a common re-engagement tool aimed at people who have slowed down.",,https://www.americangaming.org/responsible-marketing-code/,— context on promotional practice; the definition itself is industry usage.,partial,odds-boost
Promo / reload bonus,,B,Industry and product terms,"Credit or free bets given to bring a customer back after a period of inactivity or a big loss. For someone trying to stop, a reload offer arriving by push notification or email is a targeted trigger — which is why cutting marketing contact is part of self-exclusion.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,promo-reload-bonus
Deposit match,,B,Industry and product terms,"A bonus that matches a percentage of money you put in, subject to conditions. The headline number is not money you can withdraw; the playthrough requirement attached to it is the part that matters.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,deposit-match
Playthrough (rollover) requirement,,B,Industry and product terms,"The amount you must wager before bonus funds can be withdrawn — often several times the bonus, sometimes many times. It is the mechanism that converts a ""free"" offer into guaranteed betting volume.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,playthrough-rollover-requirement
Free bet,,B,Industry and product terms,A stake credited by the operator where you keep the winnings but not the stake. Free bets almost always carry conditions and are among the most common promotional triggers reaching people who have tried to stop.,,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,free-bet
Vig (vigorish) / juice,,B,Industry and product terms,"The operator's built-in commission, baked into the price rather than charged separately. A standard −110 line on both sides means you risk $110 to win $100; the extra is the vig, and it is why a 50% win rate still loses money.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] No authoritative definitional source located.,unsourced,vig-vigorish-juice
Hold,,B,Industry and product terms,"The share of all money wagered that the operator keeps after paying winners. Hold is the number to watch in any harm reporting: rising hold on the same handle means customers are losing a larger fraction of what they bet, usually because the product mix moved toward parlays.",,https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] State regulators publish hold figures (e.g. ); no authoritative definitional page located.,partial,hold
Handle,,B,Industry and product terms,"The total amount wagered over a period, before any payouts. Handle is the number operators and states publicize; it says nothing about harm on its own, because it counts the same dollar every time it is re-bet.",,https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/,— regulators publish handle; definitional source not located.,partial,handle
Moneyline,,B,Industry and product terms,"A bet on which side simply wins, with the price expressed as American odds (−150, +130). It is the simplest sports wager and the one with the smallest house margin.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,moneyline
Point spread,,B,Industry and product terms,"A handicap applied to the favorite so both sides of a bet are roughly equally likely. Spreads are priced to attract balanced action, which is how books try to earn the vig rather than gamble themselves.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,point-spread
Total (over/under),,B,Industry and product terms,"A bet on whether the combined score will finish above or below a set number. Like the spread, it is designed to split the money roughly evenly.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,total-over-under
Implied probability,,B,Industry and product terms,"What a betting price says about the chance of an outcome, once converted to a percentage. Implied probabilities across a market always add to more than 100% — the excess is the operator's margin, and seeing it in a number is a useful antidote to the feeling that the odds are neutral.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,implied-probability
Closing line,,B,Industry and product terms,The final price before an event starts. Beating it consistently is the usual industry test of whether someone is actually skilled — and the usual trigger for an operator to limit their account.,,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,closing-line
Arbitrage,,B,Industry and product terms,"Betting both sides of the same event across different operators at prices that guarantee a small profit. It is legal, it is not gambling in the ordinary sense, and operators close accounts for it — which matters in recovery writing because ""I was just arbing"" is a common way a return to betting gets rationalized.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,arbitrage
Hedging,,B,Industry and product terms,"Placing a second bet against your own position to lock in a smaller guaranteed result. Legitimate as risk management, and also a common escalation route: hedging a parlay usually means placing more bets, not fewer.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,hedging
Matched betting,,B,Industry and product terms,Using free-bet promotions together with an opposing bet to extract the promotional value. Frequently presented online as risk-free income; for many people with gambling problems it has been the doorway back in.,,https://www.gamcare.org.uk/,— GamCare publishes consumer guidance on promotions; definitional source not located.,partial,matched-betting
VIP host,,B,Industry and product terms,"A named employee assigned to a high-spending customer, who contacts them personally with offers, tickets, credit, and sympathy after losses. VIP programs concentrate a large share of operator revenue in a small number of heavily-losing customers, and being hosted is one of the clearest risk indicators a person in recovery can name.","""VIP host"" or ""account manager."" Do not call the customer a ""whale"" — it is industry slang for a person being harmed.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,vip-host
Loyalty tier,,B,Industry and product terms,"A rewards level based on how much you wager, with escalating perks. The structure rewards volume, not outcomes, so the fastest way up is to lose more.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,loyalty-tier
Deposit limit,,B,Industry and product terms,"A cap you set on how much money can be added to an account in a day, week, or month. It is the most effective of the self-set limits because it acts before the money is in play, and NCPG's internet standards expect operators to offer it.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,deposit-limit
Loss limit,,B,Industry and product terms,"A cap on how much you can lose in a set period, after which betting stops. Less commonly offered than deposit limits, and more directly tied to harm, because it measures the thing that actually hurts.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,loss-limit
Wager limit,,B,Industry and product terms,"A cap on total amount staked in a period, regardless of whether you are winning or losing. Useful for controlling time-in-product as well as money.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,wager-limit
Session limit,,B,Industry and product terms,"A cap on how long a single logged-in session can run. It targets the dissociative ""zone"" directly, and it is among the least-offered limits in the US market.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,session-limit
Reality check,,B,Industry and product terms,"A pop-up that interrupts play at set intervals to state how long you have been on and, sometimes, what you are up or down. Its effect depends entirely on whether it is hard to dismiss; a one-tap ""continue"" is close to no intervention at all.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/internet-standards/,,sourced,reality-check
Responsible gambling (RG),,B,Industry and product terms,"The industry's umbrella term for the tools and messaging operators provide — limits, cool-offs, self-exclusion links, helpline numbers. It is worth naming honestly: the framing places responsibility on the individual customer rather than on product design, which is the central criticism public-health researchers make of it.","use ""responsible gambling"" when naming the industry's own programs; use ""gambling harm reduction"" or ""consumer protection"" when describing what actually protects people.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/responsible-gambling/resources/,,sourced,responsible-gambling-rg
Safer gambling,,B,Industry and product terms,"The term much of the world uses in place of ""responsible gambling,"" because it describes the product and the environment rather than assigning virtue to the customer. Preferred in UK public-health writing.","""safer gambling"" is the better default in journalism.",https://www.gamcare.org.uk/,,sourced,safer-gambling
Geolocation check,,B,Industry and product terms,A technical check confirming a bettor is physically inside a state where the product is legal. Relevant to recovery because it is also the mechanism that makes state-level self-exclusion enforceable at all.,,https://www.nj.gov/oag/ge/,,sourced,geolocation-check
KYC (know your customer),,B,Industry and product terms,The identity verification an operator must complete before allowing real-money play. It is the same infrastructure that lets a self-exclusion list actually block an account rather than just a username.,,https://www.nj.gov/oag/ge/,,sourced,kyc-know-your-customer
Sweepstakes casino,,B,Industry and product terms,"A site that offers casino-style games using a two-currency structure — a play currency and a second ""promotional"" currency that can be redeemed for cash — in order to operate in states without licensed online casinos. They typically sit outside state gambling regulation, which means state self-exclusion often does not reach them.","always add the consequence: ""a sweepstakes casino, which state self-exclusion generally does not cover.""",https://www.ncpgambling.org/advocacy/,— NCPG advocacy on unregulated products; specific definitional page not located.,partial,sweepstakes-casino
Dual-currency model,,B,Industry and product terms,"The mechanism behind sweepstakes casinos: one currency with no cash value, and a second obtained ""free"" with purchases that can be redeemed. Legally it is what keeps the product out of gambling statutes; experientially it is indistinguishable from a slot machine.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,dual-currency-model
Prediction market (event contract),,B,Industry and product terms,"A regulated exchange where people trade contracts on whether an event will happen, including sports outcomes and elections. NCPG has raised consumer-protection concerns because these contracts are supervised as financial products, which means state gambling protections — including state self-exclusion — generally do not apply.","name the gap explicitly: ""prediction markets, which state self-exclusion does not currently cover.""",https://www.ncpgambling.org/advocacy/consumer-protection-prediction-markets/,,sourced,prediction-market-event-contract
Daily fantasy sports (DFS),,B,Industry and product terms,"Contests where you assemble a lineup of real athletes for a single day or week and are paid on their statistics. Regulated differently from sports betting in most states, with a different — often weaker — set of self-exclusion and limit requirements.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/advocacy/,,sourced,daily-fantasy-sports-dfs
Pick'em (DFS props),,B,Industry and product terms,"A DFS format where you choose whether individual players will go over or under a statistical line. Functionally close to a parlay of player props, and the subject of ongoing regulatory disputes about whether it is fantasy sports or sports betting.",,,[UNSOURCED — regulatory status varies by state],unsourced,pick-em-dfs-props
RTP (return to player),,B,Industry and product terms,"The long-run percentage of wagered money a game returns to players — a 96% RTP game keeps 4% over millions of spins. RTP describes the game over time, not your session, and it is the honest way to read ""this machine pays out.""",,https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/,[UNSOURCED — industry usage] State regulators set minimum payout percentages (e.g. ).,partial,rtp-return-to-player
Losses disguised as wins (LDW),,B,Industry and product terms,"A slot outcome that returns less than you staked but is presented with win sounds and animation — bet $1, get $0.40 back, hear a jackpot. It is a well-documented design pattern that makes losing sessions feel like winning ones.",,,[UNSOURCED — research term] Well established in the gambling-studies literature; specific citation not verified for this draft.,unsourced,losses-disguised-as-wins-ldw
Autoplay,,B,Industry and product terms,"A setting that repeats a wager automatically without a new decision each time. Removing the decision removes the natural pause, and autoplay restrictions are a common regulatory harm-reduction measure outside the US.",,,[UNSOURCED — industry usage],unsourced,autoplay
NCPG (National Council on Problem Gambling),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","The only national US nonprofit dedicated to reducing gambling-related harm, founded in 1972 and based in Washington, DC. NCPG runs the National Problem Gambling Helpline™, publishes internet responsible-gambling standards, and is formally neutral on whether gambling should be legal.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/about-us/mission/,,sourced,ncpg-national-council-on-problem-gambling
National Problem Gambling Helpline™ (1-800-MY-RESET),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","NCPG's 24/7 call, text, and chat line, reachable at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) and also at the still-active 1-800-522-4700. It routes to a network of 24 contact centers covering all 50 states and territories, is free and confidential, offers 240+ languages, and does not use geolocation — calls route by area code.","""the National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET."" It is not a crisis line; for a crisis, 911 or 988.",https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/about-the-national-problem-gambling-helpline/,,sourced,national-problem-gambling-helpline-1-800-my-reset
1-800-GAMBLER,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A gambling helpline launched in 1983 by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. NCPG licensed it nationally from 2022 until a New Jersey court returned the mark to CCGNJ in September 2025; it still connects callers to help but is no longer the NCPG National Problem Gambling Helpline™. Many state advertising rules still require operators to print it, so it remains widely visible.","do not describe 1-800-GAMBLER as ""the national helpline"" — that is now 1-800-MY-RESET.",https://www.1800gambler.net/,and,sourced,1-800-gambler
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","The US three-digit line for any mental-health crisis, including suicidal thoughts, available by call or text 24/7. Gambling harm carries elevated suicide risk, and NCPG explicitly directs people in crisis to 988 rather than to the gambling helpline.","""988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline."" Say ""died by suicide,"" never ""committed suicide.""",https://988lifeline.org/,,sourced,988-suicide-crisis-lifeline
SAMHSA,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the US federal agency for behavioral health. It publishes the national treatment locator and much of the standard guidance on recovery and non-stigmatizing language, though gambling has historically sat outside its main funding streams.",,https://www.samhsa.gov/,,sourced,samhsa
Gambling disorder (DSM-5),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","The clinical diagnosis for persistent, problematic gambling causing significant impairment — the only behavioral addiction in the DSM-5, moved there from the ""impulse-control disorders"" chapter in 2013 because the evidence matched substance addiction. Diagnosis requires four or more of nine criteria within 12 months, including chasing losses, needing larger bets for the same effect, lying about gambling, and relying on others for money.","""gambling disorder"" or ""a person with a gambling disorder."" Never ""compulsive gambler,"" ""pathological gambler,"" or ""gambling addict.""",https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm,,sourced,gambling-disorder-dsm-5
ICD-11 gambling disorder,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","The World Health Organization's parallel diagnosis, which distinguishes predominantly online from predominantly offline gambling. Relevant to US writing because international comparisons and much research use ICD rather than DSM criteria.",,https://icd.who.int/,,sourced,icd-11-gambling-disorder
PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A nine-item questionnaire scoring gambling frequency, financial impact, and distress from 0 to 3 per item, taking under five minutes. It is the most widely used population screen worldwide and sorts respondents into non-problem, low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gambling bands.",,https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6878252/,,sourced,pgsi-problem-gambling-severity-index
SOGS (South Oaks Gambling Screen),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A 20-item screen developed in 1987 and keyed to DSM-III criteria. It is still cited constantly because decades of prevalence data rest on it, but it is now considered dated and prone to over-identifying problems in general populations.",,,[UNSOURCED — no primary source opened for this draft] Widely described in the screening literature; verify before publishing.,unsourced,sogs-south-oaks-gambling-screen
NODS (NORC DSM Screen for Gambling Problems),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A 34-item instrument built to mirror DSM-IV criteria, developed for the 1999 national US gambling study. It is the ancestor of the national prevalence figures still quoted today — which is part of why the US denominator problem is so old.",,https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273581930296X,— review covering NODS variants.,sourced,nods-norc-dsm-screen-for-gambling-problems
NODS-CLiP,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A three-question short form of the NODS asking about Control, Liing, and Preoccupation. It was built for primary care, takes under a minute, and has high sensitivity — designed to catch problems, then refer for a fuller assessment.",,https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273581930296X,,sourced,nods-clip
BBGS (Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A three-question screen covering restlessness when trying to cut down, lying to family, and needing financial help because of gambling. It performs well as a first filter in general populations.",,https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273581930296X,,sourced,bbgs-brief-biosocial-gambling-screen
Lie/Bet questionnaire,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A two-question screen: have you ever lied about your gambling, and have you ever felt the need to bet more money. It is the shortest widely used instrument and is common in helpline and intake settings.",,,[UNSOURCED — no primary source opened for this draft] Verify before publishing.,unsourced,lie-bet-questionnaire
Gamblers Anonymous (GA),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A worldwide peer-support fellowship founded in 1957, using a twelve-step program and in-person and online meetings, free to attend. It is the most available form of gambling support in the US and is independent of treatment providers and of NCPG.",use the organization's full proper name. Do not use its name as a generic adjective for other services.,https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/,,sourced,gamblers-anonymous-ga
Gam-Anon,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","The separate fellowship for family members and friends affected by someone else's gambling, with its own meetings and literature. Its existence is the clearest institutional acknowledgment that gambling harm lands on households, not individuals.",,https://www.gam-anon.org/,,sourced,gam-anon
GameSense,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A responsible-gambling education program delivered inside casinos and sportsbooks, staffed by advisors who explain how the games actually work and how to set limits. Originally developed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, later licensed in the US including by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and MGM Resorts.",,https://gamesense.com/,,sourced,gamesense
NVSEP (National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A multi-jurisdiction self-exclusion program operated by idPair that lets a person self-exclude across participating jurisdictions from one enrollment, rather than filing separately in each state. It launched in 2024 and has been adding jurisdictions since; coverage is still partial, so it complements rather than replaces state programs.",,https://www.nvsep.org/,,sourced,nvsep-national-voluntary-self-exclusion-program
State self-exclusion program,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A self-exclusion list run by an individual state's gambling regulator, covering the operators that state licenses. Terms, durations, scope (retail, online, or both), and whether the exclusion can be lifted all vary by state — there is no national standard, which is the single biggest practical obstacle a person in recovery hits.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/help-by-state/,,sourced,state-self-exclusion-program
DGE (New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","New Jersey's gambling regulator, part of the state Attorney General's office, which licenses operators and runs the state's self-exclusion lists for casino, internet, and sports wagering. Because New Jersey regulated online gambling early, its rules are the template many other states copied.",,https://www.nj.gov/oag/ge/,,sourced,dge-new-jersey-division-of-gaming-enforcement
PGCB (Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","Pennsylvania's regulator, which operates that state's self-exclusion programs and publishes monthly revenue and hold data by operator. Its data releases are among the more usable state sources for anyone tracking gambling harm indicators.",,https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/,,sourced,pgcb-pennsylvania-gaming-control-board
MGCB (Michigan Gaming Control Board),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","Michigan's regulator, notable in harm reporting because it publishes responsible-gaming database enrollment figures on a regular cadence — one of the few states where self-exclusion volume can be tracked month to month.",,https://www.michigan.gov/mgcb,,sourced,mgcb-michigan-gaming-control-board
State affiliate council,,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","A state-level nonprofit affiliated with NCPG that provides local helpline coverage, training, and treatment referral. Affiliates are the people a journalist should call for state-specific numbers, and not every state has one.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/about-us/state-affiliates/,,sourced,state-affiliate-council
Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM),,C,"Regulators, programs, and clinical instruments","An annual NCPG campaign held each March, providing the one predictable national news hook in gambling harm coverage. It is when most state councils release their own figures.",,https://www.ncpgambling.org/problem-gambling/pgam/,,sourced,problem-gambling-awareness-month-pgam
Problem gambler,person experiencing gambling harm,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"""Problem gambler"" makes the problem the person's identity and implies the harm is a property of them rather than of a behavior and a product. Person-first phrasing separates the two, which measurably changes how much blame readers assign. Note: ""problem gambling"" as the name of a *field* or *program* (NCPG, Problem Gambling Awareness Month) stays — you do not rename organizations.",person experiencing gambling harm · person with a gambling problem.,,,n/a - language pair,problem-gambler
"Gambling addict"" / ""addict",person with a gambling disorder,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,Labeling someone an addict collapses a whole person into a diagnosis and is one of the most-studied stigmatizing terms in addiction research. Person-first phrasing keeps the condition secondary to the person.,person with a gambling disorder · person with a gambling addiction.,,,n/a - language pair,gambling-addict-addict
Compulsive gambler,person with a gambling disorder,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,Clinically outdated: the DSM moved gambling out of the impulse-control chapter in 2013. It also carries a whiff of the untreatable.,person with a gambling disorder.,,,n/a - language pair,compulsive-gambler
Pathological gambler,person with a gambling disorder,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"The pre-2013 DSM term, retired with the DSM-5. Still appears in older literature; it should not appear in new writing.",person with a gambling disorder.,,,n/a - language pair,pathological-gambler
"Degenerate"" / ""degen",person with a gambling disorder,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,Betting-culture slang that people often apply to themselves affectionately and that lands very differently in print. It explicitly frames harm as moral decay.,never in your own voice; quote it only when a source says it about themselves.,,,n/a - language pair,degenerate-degen
Whale,high-spending customer / customer experiencing heavy losses,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,Industry term for the small number of customers who supply an outsized share of revenue. It describes a person being harmed as a prize to be landed.,"""a customer the operator identified as high-value,"" or say plainly what happened: losses, hosting, offers.",,,n/a - language pair,whale
Clean,gambling-free,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"""Clean"" makes its opposite ""dirty,"" which is exactly the moral framing that keeps people from asking for help. The same objection applies to ""clean time"" and ""clean date.""",gambling-free · bet-free · in recovery · a gambling-free date.,,,n/a - language pair,clean
Dirty,currently gambling / experiencing a recurrence,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Same problem, sharper. There is no clinical content in it at all.",currently gambling · has had a recurrence.,,,n/a - language pair,dirty
"Slipped up"" / ""fell off the wagon",had a lapse,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Both phrases imply carelessness and both make a clinical event sound like a joke. ""Lapse"" is precise and neutral, and it distinguishes a single event from a sustained return.",had a lapse · returned to gambling once.,,,n/a - language pair,slipped-up-fell-off-the-wagon
Relapser,person who experienced a recurrence,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,Turning an event into a noun for a person implies it is what they are and what they will do again.,person who has experienced a recurrence.,,,n/a - language pair,relapser
Clean and sober,in recovery,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Imported from alcohol and drug recovery and a poor fit for gambling, where nothing is ingested; many people harmed by gambling say it makes their experience sound like it does not count.",in recovery · gambling-free.,,,n/a - language pair,clean-and-sober
"Gambling den"" / ""vice",gambling venue / gambling product,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Moralizing vocabulary makes gambling harm sound like a character issue rather than a public-health one, and it pushes coverage toward shame and away from cause.",casino · sportsbook · gambling product · gambling venue.,,,n/a - language pair,gambling-den-vice
Committed suicide,died by suicide,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"""Committed"" carries the grammar of crime and sin. This matters acutely in gambling coverage, where suicide risk is elevated and reporting guidelines apply.",died by suicide · took their own life. Always pair with a help resource.,,,n/a - language pair,committed-suicide
Enabler,family member affected by gambling / affected other,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"It blames the person absorbing the damage — usually a partner or parent — for the damage. Bailouts are a diagnostic feature of gambling disorder, not a character defect in the person who paid.",affected other · family member affected by gambling.,,,n/a - language pair,enabler
Codependent,affected other,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Pathologizes an ordinary response to living with someone in crisis, and has weak evidentiary grounding.",affected other.,,,n/a - language pair,codependent
Habit,gambling disorder / gambling harm,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,Calling a diagnosable disorder a habit understates it to the point of misinformation and suggests that stopping is a matter of trying harder.,gambling disorder · gambling harm · a gambling problem.,,,n/a - language pair,habit
Binge,episode of heavy gambling,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Borrowed from eating and drinking language, and in gambling it obscures the actual facts — how long, how much, which product.",an episode of heavy gambling · a session in which they lost X.,,,n/a - language pair,binge
"Abuse"" (as in gambling abuse)",gambling harm / gambling disorder,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"""Abuse"" is both clinically obsolete and uniquely stigmatizing in addiction research; it reads as something the person did wrong.",gambling harm · gambling disorder.,,,n/a - language pair,abuse-as-in-gambling-abuse
"Failed treatment"" / ""non-compliant",treatment did not work for them / did not continue treatment,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Puts the failure on the patient rather than on the fit of the service, which is a documented barrier to people returning after a recurrence.",treatment was not effective for them · chose not to continue.,,,n/a - language pair,failed-treatment-non-compliant
"Gambling responsibly"" (applied to a person in harm)",safer gambling / consumer protection,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"The phrase shifts responsibility onto the individual and away from product design, and it implies that the person experiencing harm was the irresponsible one.","safer gambling · harm reduction · consumer protections. Keep ""responsible gambling"" only when naming an operator's or regulator's own program by its actual name.",,,n/a - language pair,gambling-responsibly-applied-to-a-person-in-harm
Victim,person harmed by gambling,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"Removes agency and, in most coverage, is not what the person calls themselves. Use it only if they do.",person harmed by gambling · person experiencing gambling harm.,,,n/a - language pair,victim
Banned himself,self-excluded,D,Stigma-preferred language pairs,"""Banned"" implies an external punishment; self-exclusion is a voluntary, legally structured request the person made. Getting this right is also factually important, because bans and self-exclusions have different legal consequences.",self-excluded · enrolled in self-exclusion.,,,n/a - language pair,banned-himself