An FTD is the first real-money deposit a player makes on an iGaming brand and is the canonical conversion event in casino and sportsbook acquisition.
First Time Deposit (FTD)
TL;DR: An FTD is the first real-money deposit a player makes on an iGaming brand and is the canonical conversion event in casino and sportsbook acquisition.
What it means
FTD is the moment a registered user becomes a paying customer. Almost every UA budget, affiliate contract, and BI dashboard in iGaming is anchored to FTDs. A registration without an FTD has near-zero commercial value because most players never deposit after signup.
FTD differs from NDC (New Depositing Customer): FTD counts the *event*, NDC counts the *unique player* in a reporting window. In practice the two are used interchangeably in marketing reports, but finance teams keep them separate.
Formula / How it's measured
FTDs = count of unique users whose first ever cashier transaction (deposit) cleared in the reporting window.
Example: an operator's January cohort has 12,400 registrations and 1,860 FTDs. Registration-to-FTD conversion = 15%.
Why it matters for operators
FTD is the input to LTV, CPA, and ROAS models. Affiliate revenue share, CPA deals, and hybrid contracts almost always pay on FTD. Acquisition teams optimize landing pages, KYC friction, and welcome bonus mechanics specifically to lift FTD rate, because every percentage point compounds across the cohort.
Common benchmarks (2026)
- Registration-to-FTD conversion: 10–25% (sportsbook tends higher than casino in LATAM)
- FTD median amount: $20–$50 LATAM, $50–$120 EU regulated, $80–$200 US
- Time from registration to FTD: 60–80% deposit within 24h; players who don't deposit in 7 days rarely convert
Common mistakes
- Counting deposit attempts instead of cleared deposits (declined cards inflate the number)
- Not deduping when a player has multiple accounts flagged by KYC
- Optimizing for FTD volume while ignoring FTD quality (low avg deposit + bonus-only players)
See also