Part V: Regional & Cultural · Casino Slang & Historical Terms

6.11 Vig / Vigorish / Juice

Slang — House Advantage

“Vig” (short for vigorish), also known as “juice,” refers to the house advantage, commission, or fee charged on bets. The term originated in sports betting but is widely used across casino gaming. In baccarat, the 5% commission charged on winning Banker bets is the vig. In sports betting, the vig is built into the odds (e.g., -110 on both sides of a point spread). “Juice” is commonly used in poker to refer to the rake (house fee) taken from each pot.

In practice

Understanding the vig is fundamental to casino mathematics. Different games carry different vig levels — baccarat has among the lowest (1.06% on Banker), while keno and some slot machines can have vig exceeding 20%.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.