Industry analysis points out that against the backdrop of stricter media regulation, soaring traffic costs, and market competition, "traffic" has evolved from a traditional industry growth indicator to the most core strategic asset for iGaming operators.
Whether it's online casinos, sports betting, or esports betting, online registrations, first-time deposits (FTD), and betting all start with the first effective visit. For operators, traffic directly determines the scale of customer acquisition, revenue structure, and long-term profitability.
Data shows that the global iGaming market size is expected to exceed $120 billion by the end of 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of over 10%. However, as the industry expands, the cost of acquiring traffic is also rising. In mature markets such as Western Europe, the UK, and North America, CPM has risen to the $25 to $35 range, with CPC in some highly competitive verticals increasing by more than 20% year-over-year.
Due to stricter advertising audits on various platforms and increased compliance requirements for materials, the space for "low-cost arbitrage traffic" is continuously shrinking. The cost of customer acquisition (CPA) in several mature markets has even exceeded $200, continuously compressing the profit margins of operators.
The general consensus in the industry is that merely pursuing traffic volume can hardly support a profitable model. Data shows that the first deposit conversion rate of high-intent sports users can reach 2-3 times that of general traffic, and their lifetime value (LTV) is often more than 40% higher. In contrast, low-quality traffic has a high bounce rate, poor retention, and may lead to various problems such as account bans.
Therefore, operators are accelerating the transition to a sustainable traffic structure.
SEO organic traffic, although initially high in investment and slow in effect, can reduce the customer acquisition cost per user by more than 30% in the long term; affiliate marketing generally outperforms cold-start advertising in local markets; and first-party data construction helps companies reduce dependence on third-party platforms. The channel structure is gradually presenting a combination model of "paid acquisition + natural sedimentation + data-driven optimization".
At the same time, artificial intelligence will become an important tool for improving traffic efficiency. By optimizing efficiency through models and dynamically assessing click-through rates, FTD conversion rates, 30-day retention rates, ARPU, and re-deposit behavior, ROI-centered deployment decisions are made.
The importance of mobile and social media is further increasing. More than 50% of new players come from mobile devices, and the global sports event craze is driving about a 20% increase in related traffic.
Industry observers believe that the iGaming competition in 2026 will be a contest around the ability to "capitalize high-quality traffic assets." Traffic will be the core resource throughout product design and capital strategy, and for practitioners, the real competitive advantage is shifting from "buying capacity" to "traffic value management ability."
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