What is rakeback?
Rakeback is a reward system most common in poker that returns a percentage of the rake (the fee the casino takes from each pot) back to the player. It’s a way for regular, high-volume poker players to reduce their effective playing costs over time.
How rake works in poker
In casino poker games, the house takes a small percentage from each pot or charges a time-based fee. This is the rake. Over thousands of hands, rake accumulates significantly. Rakeback programs return a fixed percentage of this rake to qualifying players, effectively reducing the cost of playing.
Rakeback outside of poker
In online casino contexts beyond poker, rakeback is sometimes used loosely to describe cashback-style loyalty programs where a percentage of losses or wagers is returned. If a casino offers 5% rakeback on your monthly losses, it functions identically to a 5% cashback program. Always check whether the returned amount is real cash or bonus money with wagering requirements.