Glossary
S
Scratch cards
Scratch cards are laminated cardboard tickets where you try to uncover matching symbols or amounts of money. They can be found in newsagents and supermarkets
Sic bo
Sic bo is played with three standard dice that are shaken in a basket or plastic cup. Traditionally, in Asia, the dice were shaken on a small plate covered with a bowl, which was then lifted to reveal the roll. In modern casinos the dice are shaken mechanically, and the outcome is keyed into a computer which automatically lights up the winning zones on the table. A player can make any number of bets on the sic bo table. Outcomes are based on the combinations that come up on the three dice. Payoff combinations are listed on a roulette-style table top that is often lit from underneath in winning areas of the layout to indicate winning combinations. The wagers available and their associated odds can differ from place to place.
Skill-based gambling
Gambling where your ability can influence whether you will win or lose. In skill-based gambling, the likelihood of winning is not the same among all players as technique, knowledge or strategy may give some players an advantage. Examples include horse racing, poker and blackjack.
Slot machine
Another name for a gaming, fruit, jackpot, amusement-with-prize or all-cash machine.
Sports betting
Sports betting is making or accepting a bet on the outcome of a future sporting event, such as the World Cup.
Spread betting
Spread betting allows people to bet on the variables or outcomes of sporting events, politics or the stock market movements. Different types of spread bets include ‘total’ bets, ‘supremacy’ bets and ‘index’ bets. Unlike more traditional forms of gambling where you only lose the amount of your bet, in spread betting profits and losses are potentially unlimited.
Straight flush
A poker hand containing five cards of the same suit and in numerical sequence.
Stud Poker
Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player is dealt a mix of face-down and face-up cards in multiple betting rounds. Five-card stud first appeared during the American Civil War, and became very popular. In recent years, Seven-card stud has become more common, both in casinos and in home games. These two games form the basis of most modern stud poker variation.
Sweepstakes
A competition where the prizes are given away free with no cost at all to enter. A sweepstake is considered a lottery if a payment is made to enter the draw. If no payment is required to gain entry, the sweepstake is considered a free prize draw.