Your rank reflects how much you have played. You climb by playing, and your rank never goes down.
How the ladder is built
There are 13 bands, each with four steps (I to IV). In order: Fresh Meat, Boot, Recruit, Grunt, Trench Rat, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, General and Trench God.
How you rank up
Every real-money bet moves you towards the next rank. The VIP page shows your current rank, a progress bar, and exactly what is needed for the next one.
What improves as you climb
Rakeback rate. It goes up a little with every step and jumps when you enter a new band.
Rakeback buckets. New players start with hourly rakeback. Daily, weekly and monthly unlock over the first few ranks.
Sports rakeback. Unlocks part-way up the ladder and grows from there.
Weekly cashback (lossback). Your maximum rate rises as you move up the bands.
Wheel prizes. Cash prizes on the wheel are sized by rank.
Rank-up rewards. You get a reward each time you reach a new rank.
Better offers. Some promotions have lower wagering or higher limits for higher ranks.
Where to see the numbers
The VIP page lists every rank with its requirement and its benefits, including the current rakeback and cashback rates. Rates and requirements can be updated, so that page is always the place to check.
Rank and VIP are two different things. Rank is earned automatically by playing. VIP is a personal service with a host; see "VIP status, your VIP host and the VIP Discord".