One thing I’ve never come across is a single page or slide that organizes all major forms of online gambling into a useful taxonomy. Why bother with a taxonomy? Among other things, it forms a convenient way to quickly group products to be able to talk about shared attributes and efficiencies. So here one is, first draft:
PvH: Player versus House betting (Fixed Odds Betting; House sets/takes risk)- Purely mathematical (with a normal distribution, sufficient volume, house actually takes no risk, no player skill required)
- Slots (* can be pools aspect to this)
- Skill based - mathematical (players who understand the underlying mathematics/odds can maximize their chance to win and drive down the house edge)
- Virtual sports (e.g., Virtual racing)
- Skill based – environmental and variable information affect outcome; event based
- Traditional (e.g., sports)
- Format (fixed odds, american handicap, asian handicap)
- Racing vs. all other sports (racing, due to betting complexity, often treated separately)
PvP: Player versus Player betting (House takes a percentage of play; house takes no risk)- Poker
- Betting exchange
- Spread betting exchange
- Backgammon
- Mahjong
- Aspects of “Be the dealer”
APvH: Aggregate Player versus House Betting (House takes a percentage of collective play with no risk)
- Pools betting
- Lottery
- Bingo