CPS is an affiliate commercial model where the operator pays a percentage of each qualifying player deposit or transaction, rather than a flat CPA or revenue share.
Cost Per Sale (CPS)
**TL;DR:** CPS is an affiliate commercial model where the operator pays a percentage of each qualifying player deposit or transaction, rather than a flat CPA or revenue share.
What it means
CPS sits between flat CPA and lifetime revenue share. The affiliate is paid a defined cut of each deposit (e.g. 8% of every deposit for 6 months) or of each first deposit only. It is more common in fintech and e-commerce, but appears in iGaming verticals like sweepstakes casinos, social gaming, and skin betting where transactions look more like product sales than pure gambling LTV.
In poker and some daily fantasy products, CPS-style deals also exist as "rake share" — a percentage of the rake the player generates is paid to the partner.
Formula / How it's measured
Affiliate payout = Σ (Qualifying Deposit Amount × CPS rate).
Example: a sweepstakes casino offers 10% CPS on first deposits. An affiliate sends 400 FTDs averaging $35 per deposit. Payout = 400 × $35 × 10% = $1,400.
Why it matters for operators
CPS aligns affiliate incentives with deposit volume, not just headcount, which protects the operator from low-quality FTDs that deposit $10 once. It also caps short-term cash exposure compared to lifetime revenue share, which is useful for newer brands without LTV data.
Common benchmarks (2026)
- Sweepstakes casino CPS: 8%–15% on FDA (first-deposit amount)
- Social casino CPS: 20%–35% of coin pack revenue
- Skin/crypto casino CPS: 5%–12% deposit share
- Lottery affiliates CPS: 15%–25% on ticket sales
- Hybrid CPS + small CPA deals: $30 CPA + 5% CPS, common in LATAM
Common mistakes
- Using CPS in casino without robust fraud and chargeback adjustment
- Forgetting to net out bonus and withdrawal in the CPS calculation
- Mixing CPS with revenue share without clear contract language — leads to disputes
See also