Updated 29 September 2026. Author: Gambling Soft team.
Short answer: GGR (gross gaming revenue) is players’ bets minus players’ winnings. NGR (net gaming revenue) is GGR minus bonuses and, depending on the contract, gaming taxes and other deductions, so NGR is lower than GGR. Hold is GGR divided by total bets: in slots it is usually 3-8%, in sports betting the margin is usually 5-8% (industry estimates). Vendors charge a percentage of one of these bases, and the base matters as much as the rate: in the example month below with $50,000 of GGR, 15% of GGR is $7,500 while 8% of profit is $2,760. At Gambling Soft, official games cost $5,500 plus 15% of their GGR; turnkey packages include games for 7-15% of GGR (Lite 9%, Pro 8%, Casino + Betting Pro 7%, Premium 15%, betting 15%); white label costs one third of the source-code price plus 8% of profit; source code carries no revenue share at all. Across the market, platform revenue shares run from 5% to 30% of NGR or GGR (industry estimates, based on public reviews).
GGR, NGR, hold and profit in one table
The example below takes a casino month with $1,000,000 of bets. The numbers are chosen to show the arithmetic, not as a forecast. The definitions of GGR and profit match the ones on our pricing page; the NGR formula is the most common one in vendor contracts, but each contract spells out its own list of deductions.
| Metric | Formula | Example on $1,000,000 of bets |
|---|---|---|
| Bets (turnover, handle) | Sum of all stakes, including stakes placed again from winnings | $1,000,000 |
| Winnings paid | Sum of all player wins | $950,000 |
| GGR | Bets minus winnings | $50,000 |
| Hold | GGR divided by bets | 5% |
| Bonuses | Bonus money, free spins, cashback credited to players | $12,000 |
| Gaming taxes and levies | Set by the license; zero or small in many offshore jurisdictions | $1,500 |
| NGR | GGR minus bonuses minus taxes (typical contract wording) | $36,500 |
| Payment provider fees | Deposit and payout commissions of PSPs and crypto processors | $3,500 |
| Profit (Gambling Soft white label base) | GGR minus bonuses minus payment provider fees | $34,500 |
Two notes on hold. First, hold is not the same as 100% minus RTP. A slot with 96% RTP has a theoretical hold of 4% per spin, but players re-bet their winnings, so hold measured on turnover and hold measured on deposits give very different numbers. Always ask which one a report or a vendor uses. Second, hold swings month to month: a few large jackpots can push slot hold under 2% for a month, and a quiet month can push it above 8%. Fees charged on GGR follow these swings.
Why “15% of GGR” and “8% of profit” are different amounts
Operators often compare offers by the rate alone. The same month from the table shows why that fails.
| Fee | Base in the example | Amount due |
|---|---|---|
| 15% of GGR (Gambling Soft official games) | $50,000 | $7,500 |
| 8% of GGR | $50,000 | $4,000 |
| 8% of NGR | $36,500 | $2,920 |
| 8% of profit (Gambling Soft white label) | $34,500 | $2,760 |
The same 8% gives $4,000 or $2,760 depending on the base. The gap grows with bonuses. Suppose you run an aggressive welcome campaign and bonuses rise from $12,000 to $30,000 with the same GGR. Profit drops to $16,500 and 8% of it is $1,320. A fee of 15% of GGR stays at $7,500, because GGR does not see bonuses at all. A GGR-based fee is predictable for the vendor; a profit-based or NGR-based fee shares your marketing risk with the vendor.
The two Gambling Soft fees in this example also pay for different things. The 15% of GGR is the content fee for official games (Pragmatic Play, Evolution and 70+ providers, 21,000+ games), charged on the GGR of those games. The 8% of profit is the fee for renting the platform as a white label. An operator on white label with official games pays both; an operator with source code and official games pays only the games fee. The comparison of the two ownership models is in white label casino vs source code.
How to read a vendor offer
A commercial offer from a platform or game vendor usually has five lines that decide the real cost. Put every offer you receive into this table before you compare them.
| Line of the offer | What to check | Typical market (industry estimates) | Gambling Soft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | What it includes: design, domain, hosting, license help, integration of payments | Often $15,000-50,000 for white label | Source code from $8,500 (Violet) to $47,500 (Velvet), platform source code $19,000; packages $7,500-59,000; white label 1/3 of the source-code price |
| Share rate | One rate or several: platform, games, sportsbook, live casino | 5-30% of NGR or GGR | Games in packages 7-15% of GGR; official games 15% of GGR; white label 8% of profit; source code 0% |
| Base of calculation | GGR, NGR or profit, and the exact list of deductions: bonuses, taxes, payment fees, chargebacks, jackpot contributions | Varies by vendor and by product line | GGR = bets minus winnings; profit = GGR minus bonuses and payment provider fees, calculated monthly from platform reports |
| Minimum monthly fee | Is a fixed minimum due when GGR is low or negative | Common in white label contracts; amounts vary | No monthly minimum |
| Contract term | Duration, auto-renewal, exit terms, who keeps the domain and player data | Often 12-36 months | Source code: one-time purchase, no term. White label: while you operate, with conversion to source code later (terms agreed individually) |
If a vendor does not state the base or the deductions in writing, treat the offer as incomplete. The same “10%” can be one of the cheapest or one of the most expensive offers on the market depending on those two lines. A side-by-side view of ten vendors is on the casino software comparison page.
Three comparisons at $30,000 of GGR a month
All three examples assume the same casino: $30,000 of GGR a month, $6,000 of bonuses (so NGR is $24,000 with no gaming tax) and $1,500 of payment fees (so profit is $22,500). Vendor offers in examples 1 and 2 are hypothetical and show how to count; they do not describe any named company.
Example 1: 12% of GGR against 15% of NGR
| Offer | Base | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor A: 12% of GGR | $30,000 | $3,600 |
| Vendor B: 15% of NGR | $24,000 | $3,600 |
At bonuses of 20% of GGR the two offers cost the same. If you plan heavier promotion, say $9,000 of bonuses, NGR falls to $21,000 and Vendor B charges $3,150 while Vendor A still charges $3,600. If you run a low-bonus VIP model, Vendor A becomes cheaper. The higher rate is not automatically the more expensive offer.
| Offer | Setup | Monthly fee | 12 months | 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor C: $5,000 + 15% of GGR | $5,000 | $4,500 | $59,000 | $113,000 |
| Vendor D: $30,000 + 10% of GGR | $30,000 | $3,000 | $66,000 | $102,000 |
Vendor D closes the $25,000 difference in setup at $1,500 a month, in the 17th month. If you are testing a market for six months, Vendor C is cheaper; if you plan to operate for two years or more, Vendor D is. Growth moves the crossover earlier: at $60,000 of GGR a month it comes in the 9th month.
Example 3: four Gambling Soft routes for the same casino
| Route | Upfront | Monthly share at $30,000 GGR | First 12 months | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino Pro package | $15,000 | 8% of GGR = $2,400 | $43,800 | 670 games, 1 year hosting, 3 mirrors, affiliate program |
| White label Violet | $2,833 | 8% of profit = $1,800 | $24,433 | Platform on our servers, built-in catalog; official games added the same way as with source code |
| Source code Violet + official games | $14,000 ($8,500 + $5,500) | 15% of GGR = $4,500 | $68,000 + hosting | Own code, 21,000+ official games from 70+ providers |
| Source code Violet, built-in slots only | $8,500 | $0 | $8,500 + hosting (about $2,400 at $200 a month, estimate) | Own code, about 1,200 slots, no revenue share |
The lowest rate does not mean the lowest bill, and the lowest bill does not mean the same product. The route with 15% of GGR is the most expensive here because it buys the largest official catalog. The route with 0% is the cheapest because the catalog and the code are paid once. How official games and HTML5 slots differ in cost and in licensing terms is covered in how to choose a game aggregator.
- Comparing rates without the base. 10% of GGR and 10% of NGR are different offers. Convert every offer into dollars on your own forecast before comparing.
- Using one month as the forecast. Hold moves from month to month. Count fees on a pessimistic, a normal and a good month.
- Ignoring bonuses in a GGR contract. Under a GGR-based fee the vendor is paid on bonus-funded play. In heavy promotion months the fee can take a large part of your real margin.
- Missing the minimum monthly fee. A minimum that looks small becomes the main cost in the first slow months after launch.
- Paying two shares on the same revenue. Platform share on total GGR plus a separate games share on the same GGR. Ask whether game provider fees are inside the platform rate or on top of it.
- Counting only the first year. Setup fees are paid once, shares are paid for as long as you operate. Compare total cost over 24-36 months, and check what it costs to leave: who keeps the domain, the player base and the code.
FAQ
What is the difference between GGR and NGR in a casino?
GGR is bets minus winnings. NGR is GGR minus bonuses and, depending on the contract, gaming taxes, payment fees, chargebacks or jackpot contributions. NGR is always equal to or lower than GGR, so the same percentage of NGR is a smaller fee.
What hold should a new casino expect?
In slots, hold on turnover is usually 3-8%; in sports betting, the margin is usually 5-8% (industry estimates). A single month can fall outside these ranges because of large wins or low volume.
NGR or profit is usually better if you spend a lot on bonuses, because the fee shrinks with them. GGR can be better when bonuses are low and the GGR rate is noticeably lower. Count both on your own bonus budget.
What does Gambling Soft charge and on what base?
Official games: $5,500 plus 15% of GGR of those games. Packages: from $7,500 with games for 7-15% of GGR (Lite 9%, Pro 8%, Casino + Betting Pro 7%, Premium 15%, betting 15%). White label: one third of the source-code price plus 8% of profit. Source code: one-time price from $8,500, no revenue share. Launch takes 7 business days after the advance payment.
Profit is GGR minus bonuses and payment provider fees, calculated monthly from the platform reports. There is no monthly minimum. For a quote on your numbers, write to us via contacts (Telegram @GamblingSoftOriginal, WhatsApp +357 96 566 090).
See also: pricing, white label vs source code, game aggregator costs, casino software comparison.