Cruise casino glossary

Your theo divided by the number of days you played. Casinos use it to rank players and size offers, so the same total play spread over a long cruise can rate lower than a short, busy one.

More: How theo works

A fee your card issuer may charge when it treats casino play charged to your cruise card as a cash withdrawal rather than a purchase. Many issuers also start charging interest straight away. It's separate from any convenience fee the cruise line adds.

More: Paying in Celebrity's casinos

Norwegian's casino comp from Casinos At Sea: a complimentary cruise for the named player and one guest. You still pay an administration fee of $20 per person per day, plus taxes, port expenses and service charges, and the certificate can't be transferred.

More: Norwegian's Casinos At Sea program

A casino employee who looks after regular players: checks your points, arranges comps and offers, and hands out end-of-cruise certificates. Carnival's top players get Elite casino hosts. An independent casino host is an outside contractor, not ship staff.

More: Getting the most from the host

The 12 months over which a tiered program counts your tier credits. Royal Caribbean's Club Royale and Norwegian's Casinos At Sea run April 1 to March 31, Celebrity's Blue Chip Club August 1 to July 31, and Virgin's Sea Roller Rewards May 1 to April 30.

More: Every program side by side

Tied to an independent host on the cruise line's system. Royal Caribbean Group's host agreement codes you to the host after your first booking, and the code can be removed after 12 months without casino play, or at any time if you ask to be released.

More: How independent casino hosts work

The total amount you bet, counting every wager, including winnings you play back. Start with $100, bet $1 a spin for 600 spins, and your coin-in is $600. Earning rates are quoted per dollar of coin-in, and Royal Caribbean says replayed winnings count.

More: How theo works

Short for complimentary: a reward such as a free cabin, drinks, FreePlay or a dinner that the casino gives you because of your rated play. Comps follow your theo, not what you actually won or lost.

More: How much of your theo comes back

A cruise the casino gives you free or at a reduced fare because of your play. "Free" usually means the cruise fare only: taxes, fees and gratuities are often extra, and some lines add a deposit or an admin fee.

More: Casino comps vs cruise loyalty · Why lines give away cabins

A charge some lines add when you move money from your cabin account into casino play. Royal Caribbean waives it from the Prime tier up. Celebrity says cashless play on your SeaPass carries convenience fees for Pearl and Onyx members.

More: Paying in Royal Caribbean's casinos

Your room key, onboard ID and charge card, which on most lines is also your casino player card. Insert or tap it at machines and hand it over at tables, or your play isn't rated. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity call it SeaPass, Carnival's account is Sail & Sign, Princess uses the Medallion, and Norwegian tracks play on your room key.

More: How each line tracks play

How many bets are settled in an hour: spins, hands or rolls. At tables, comp systems multiply your average bet by decisions per hour, hours played and the house edge to estimate your theo.

More: House edge cheat sheet

A Royal Caribbean or Celebrity casino offer that takes a set amount off a cruise fare, as opposed to a Stateroom Offer for a free or discounted cabin. The two follow different rules on combining with other deals.

More: Combining casino offers with deals

Free drinks served in the casino while you play, usually from a set tier or level of play. Carnival calls its version Drinks On Us. What's covered, and who qualifies, varies by line.

More: Free drinks in cruise casinos

See Theo (theoretical loss).

Your onboard account: the running list of charges and credits on your cruise card. Casino charges, comps taken off your bill and points turned into onboard credit all show up here, so keep a copy of the final one.

More: Getting the most from the host

Promotional credit you play through a slot machine rather than cash out directly. The credit itself can't be withdrawn, but what you win with it can. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity both say play with FreePlay doesn't earn tier credits, and Carnival calls its version FunPlay.

More: What each line hands out

See FreePlay (free play).

A win paid by casino staff rather than by the machine, usually because it's big enough to need a W-2G tax form.

More: Cruise casino winnings and taxes

How often a spin wins anything at all. A high hit frequency feels generous, but on multi-line slots many of those wins pay back less than you bet (see losses disguised as wins).

More: What's on a PAR sheet

The share of money played that the casino keeps over time: 100% minus the payback. A 92% game holds 8%. It's the slot version of the house edge, and cruise lines don't publish their holds.

More: Same game, different price

A random prize draw for whoever happens to be playing a chosen machine at that moment.

More: Royal Caribbean's casino floor

The casino's built-in advantage: the share of each bet it expects to keep over the long run. At tables it comes from the rules and payouts, on video poker from the pay table, and on slots it's called the hold. Amount bet times house edge is your theo.

More: House edge cheat sheet · Where table edges come from

A contractor who brings players to a cruise line's casino and books their offers. The line, not you, pays the commission, based on the higher of your theoretical or actual result. Royal Caribbean Group calls them independent casino representatives. Once you book, you're coded to the host.

More: How independent casino hosts work

A certificate for money off or a free future cruise, handed out near the end of a sailing and based on the points you earned on that sailing. Royal Caribbean calls them Instant Reward Certificates, valid for 30 days from your cruise end date. Celebrity's are Instant Cruise Rewards, and Princess's version is Sea You Soon.

More: End-of-cruise comps, line by line

A payout smaller than your bet, celebrated with winning lights and sounds. Bet 75¢, win 45¢, and the machine cheers while you're down 30¢.

More: Wins that are really losses

A short-term line of casino credit, signed like an IOU, that land casinos give approved players in place of cash. We haven't found a mainstream cruise line that publishes a marker program. At sea, play is normally charged to your cruise card or paid in cash.

More: Paying for play on board

Princess's Medallion device, which stands in for a cruise card. Tap it in the casino so your play counts toward your Sea You Soon offer.

More: Princess Players Advantage

See also: Cruise card (player card)

A losing spin where the jackpot symbol stops just above or below the payline. Slot makers map their reels so this happens far more often than it would by chance on a plain reel.

More: Virtual reels and near misses

The code on a casino offer, whether a mailer, an email or your online account, that ties a booking to you and to that offer. Have it ready when you book, and quote it if an offer goes missing from your account. Carnival's casino rates use rate codes the same way.

More: How Club Royale offers arrive · Booking through a travel agent

Money added to your cruise account to spend on board, for example on drinks, dining or the spa. It usually can't be withdrawn as cash. Carnival's Fun Match deals, for example, include $100 per person on your Sail & Sign account.

More: What each match includes

The design document a slot maker supplies with each game. It fixes the game's payback, hit frequency and volatility, and casinos can order the same-looking game at different paybacks.

More: What's on a PAR sheet

The list of what each winning combination pays. On video poker it tells you the return: in Jacks or Better, 9/6 means a full house pays 9 for 1 and a flush 6 for 1, worth 99.54% with perfect play, while 6/5 returns 95%.

More: Same game, different price

The share of all money wagered that a game pays back over the long run, also called return to player. A 92% game returns $92 per $100 played on average, and the other 8% is the hold. Over one cruise, your own result can land far from it.

More: Same game, different price · Why a week at sea can go either way

Most programs turn coin-in into points at a fixed rate. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity give 1 point per $5 on reel slots and per $15 on video poker. Norwegian and Virgin give 1 per $5 on slots and per $10 on video poker. Carnival gives 1 Casino Point per $2 on slots and per $5 on video poker. Table points depend on the game, your average bet and how long you play.

More: Compare casino programs · Why video poker earns more slowly

A jackpot that keeps growing as people play the linked games, until someone wins it.

More: Slot machine library

Play the casino records against your account so it earns points. At machines that means your card is in or tapped. At tables you hand your card to the dealer before you buy in, and staff note your average bet and how long you play.

More: How end-of-cruise rewards are calculated

The share of your theo that a casino gives back as comps. Industry reports put about 20% as typical for casinos, but no cruise line publishes its rate.

More: How much of your theo comes back

Points you spend, as opposed to tier credits, which set your status. On Royal Caribbean you can download them as FreePlay or exchange them at the cashier for non-negotiable table chips. Celebrity's terms say unredeemed Reward Points expire at the end of each voyage.

More: Club Royale account details · Blue Chip Club account details

See Payback (RTP).

Carnival's onboard account and cruise card. Fun Match onboard credit, for example, goes on your Sail & Sign account.

More: Carnival Players Club

See also: Cruise card (player card)

Princess's end-of-cruise casino offer, generated from the rated play you track with your Medallion. Play counts until 11:59 p.m. ship time on the second-to-last night. You book within 30 days and sail within 6 months, and taxes, fees and port expenses aren't included.

More: Princess Players Advantage

Royal Caribbean's and Celebrity's cruise card: room key, onboard ID, charge card and casino player card in one. Insert or tap it at slots and present it at tables.

More: Club Royale

See also: Cruise card (player card)

Many casino offers cover the cruise fare for the player only, and a second guest in the cabin pays a reduced casino rate. Check who an offer covers before you book, especially if you're counting on a free cabin for two.

More: Celebrity casino offer calculator · The fine print on "free"

A Royal Caribbean or Celebrity casino offer for a free or discounted cabin. It doesn't combine with other offers, so agency perks or group discounts may not apply.

More: Combining casino offers with deals

A line gives you a tier or a cruise offer based on proof of your level with a land casino, or an offer from another cruise line. Royal Caribbean's version is Rewards Match, Carnival's is Fun Match and Princess's is Tier Match. Matches are free, and none is guaranteed.

More: Asking a cruise line for a match · Land casino partnerships

The government taxes and port charges added to a cruise fare. Casino offers usually leave them for you to pay even when the fare itself is free, and gratuities are almost always extra.

More: The fine print on "free"

What you're expected to lose on average: amount wagered times the house edge. $1,800 of slot play at an 8% hold is $144 of theo. Casinos base comps on it, not on what you actually lose, so a winner and a loser who made the same bets are rated the same.

More: How theo works

See Theo (theoretical loss).

Your status level in a casino program, set by the tier credits you earn in the casino year. Higher tiers add perks such as drinks while playing, an annual cruise or FreePlay each voyage. Royal Caribbean's tiers are Choice, Prime, Signature and Masters; Celebrity's run from Pearl and Onyx up to Ruby.

More: Compare casino programs · Casino rewards finder

The points that count toward your tier for the casino year, kept separate from the Reward Points you spend. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity both call them Tier Credits and earn them the same way as Reward Points. Norwegian and Virgin simply count points toward each tier.

More: Two kinds of points

Play the casino doesn't record against your account: no card in the machine, or no card given to the dealer before you buy in. It earns nothing toward points, tiers or offers.

More: Get rated every time

The computer map behind a slot's reels, which gives each visible stop many hidden virtual stops. It lets a game carry a jackpot far rarer than its physical reels suggest.

More: Virtual reels

How far real results can stray from a game's payback. A high-volatility game pays bigger, rarer wins and swings harder, so over the few thousand spins of a cruise it can leave you well up or well down.

More: Volatility: why a week at sea can go either way

The IRS form a casino issues to report certain gambling wins. The IRS's 2026 instructions set a $2,000 minimum reporting threshold for payments made in 2026. US taxpayers have to report winnings whether or not they get a form.

More: Cruise casino winnings and taxes

A summary from the casino of your tracked play over a period. It isn't a tax form and leaves out unrated play, so keep your own session records as well.

More: Keep your own records