Quick answer: The affiliate marketing metrics that matter most for casino and sports betting affiliates are clicks, click-to-registration rate, registration-to-first-deposit rate, qualified players, earnings per click (EPC), cost per first deposit, return on spend, and, on RevShare, revenue per player over time. Volume metrics tell you what happened; value metrics tell you whether it was worth it.
I'm Rihards, founder of Seven Affiliates, and I've spent five years in iGaming. Many affiliates don't lack data. They lack the three numbers that actually decide what to do next.
Your affiliate dashboard is like a car dashboard. [Squints at forty flashing lights.] There's a light for everything, most of them are decorative, and the ones that matter are the fuel gauge, the speedometer and the engine warning. This page tells you which metrics are which, so you stop staring at the clock while the engine catches fire.
The key affiliate marketing metrics and how to calculate them
| Metric | Formula | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks | Count of clicks on your affiliate links | How much traffic you're sending |
| Click-to-registration rate | Registrations ÷ clicks | Whether your pages and offers match |
| Registration-to-FTD rate | First deposits ÷ registrations | Whether sign-ups turn into real players |
| Qualified player rate | Qualified players ÷ first deposits | How much of your CPA volume actually pays |
| EPC (earnings per click) | Commission ÷ clicks | What each click is worth to you |
| Cost per FTD | Traffic spend ÷ first deposits | What each real player costs you |
| ROI | (Commission − spend) ÷ spend | Whether a campaign makes money |
| Revenue per player | RevShare earnings ÷ players, over time | Player quality on RevShare |
That's the whole dashboard you need, and it fits in one table. Everything else is the air freshener dangling from the mirror: nice, but it won't tell you when to stop.
What does the iGaming affiliate funnel look like?
Every player you send passes through the same stages, and every metric above measures one step. When results drop, the funnel tells you where to look instead of guessing.
Think of it as following the petrol from the pump to the wheels. If the car isn't moving, you check the tank before you blame the tyres. [Kicks tyre anyway. Hurts foot.]
Volume vs value: why FTD count isn't enough
The listed affiliate companies define their core metric carefully. Gambling.com Group's annual filing defines an NDC (new depositing customer) as "a unique referral of a player from our system to one of our customers that satisfied an agreed performance obligation (typically making a deposit above a minimum threshold)" (Gambling.com Group, 2024 annual report).
But count alone doesn't tell you value, and the industry knows it. Better Collective introduced a new KPI in 2025: "Value of Deposits (VoD) measures the total amount deposited by referred users across partner platforms over time. This KPI provides a clear indication of traffic quality and player value" (Better Collective, Q3 2025 report).
| Better Collective, Q3 2025 | Figure |
|---|---|
| New depositing customers in the quarter | 279,000 |
| Share on revenue share contracts | 81% |
| How it calculates customer lifetime value | "Average revenue per NDC x NDC lifespan" |
The same report defines lifetime value as "Average revenue per NDC x NDC lifespan". You can use exactly that at your own scale. A thousand FTDs who deposit once are a speedometer reading. A few hundred who keep playing are a full tank.
Which metrics matter for CPA vs RevShare?
Your deal type decides which gauge you watch most. On CPA you're paid per qualified player, so qualification is everything. On RevShare you're paid on what players generate, so value over time is everything.
| Metric | On CPA | On RevShare |
|---|---|---|
| First deposits | Important | Important |
| Qualified player rate | Critical: it's what you're paid on | Less relevant |
| Cost per FTD vs CPA amount | Critical for paid traffic | Useful |
| Revenue per player over time | Nice to know | Critical: it's what you're paid on |
| EPC | Useful, arrives fast | Useful, but builds over months |
Our guide to CPA vs RevShare explains the deals themselves. Here, the rule is simple: watch the gauge that measures what you're actually paid for. Watching the wrong one is how people run out of petrol while admiring their mileage.
How do you track affiliate metrics properly?
Track the click in your tracker, and get conversions back by postback, not by guessing. Our postback URL guide covers the setup, and our guide on scaling only when EPC exceeds CPC covers the maths of when to spend more.
If you use Google Analytics on your own pages, mark the actions that matter as key events. Google defines a key event as "An event that measures an action that's particularly important to the success of your business" (Google Analytics). For an affiliate page, that's usually the click on your affiliate link, not the scroll to the footer.
| Where the number comes from | What it's good for |
|---|---|
| Your tracker | Clicks, costs, conversions by campaign and placement |
| Postbacks from the program | Registrations, first deposits, qualified players |
| The program's dashboard | Commission and revenue, the final word on earnings |
| Google Analytics | How people behave on your own pages |
How to read affiliate metrics without fooling yourself
The numbers are honest. The reading is where things go wrong. Four classic ways to lie to yourself with a perfectly accurate dashboard:
| Mistake | Why it misleads | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Judging on registrations | Sign-ups are cheap, deposits aren't | Judge on first deposits and qualified players |
| Deciding too early | Deposits and revenue often arrive later than clicks | Wait for the data to settle before cutting |
| Averaging all countries together | A strong GEO hides a weak one | Split every metric by country |
| Tiny samples | Five deposits can make any campaign look brilliant | Wait for enough volume to trust a rate |
Splitting by country matters most. Our guide to tier 1 countries explains why the same traffic can be worth very different amounts depending on where it's from. One dashboard, many roads, and they don't all have the same speed limit.
How we approach metrics at Seven Affiliates
Our dashboard tracks your traffic in real time, so you can see your funnel as it moves rather than at the end of the month. We offer CPA, RevShare and Hybrid deals, with RevShare calculated on NGR, 35% by default, and no negative carryover, which keeps your RevShare numbers from being dragged down by one bad month.
We're building a curated network of private iGaming offers, so the goal is fewer, better partnerships, and metrics are how both sides see what "better" means. Fuel gauge, speedometer, engine light. The air freshener stays optional.
| What you'll want to watch | Where |
|---|---|
| Clicks, registrations, first deposits | Your real-time dashboard |
| Conversions in your own tracker | Postbacks, where the offer supports them |
| Which deal fits your numbers | Our CPA vs RevShare guide |
FAQ
What are the most important affiliate marketing metrics?
For casino and betting affiliates: clicks, click-to-registration rate, registration-to-first-deposit rate, qualified players, earnings per click, cost per first deposit, return on spend, and revenue per player on RevShare deals.
What is the difference between an FTD and an NDC?
Both describe a referred player's first deposit. Listed affiliate companies such as Gambling.com Group use NDC (new depositing customer), defined as a unique referral that met an agreed obligation, typically a deposit above a minimum threshold.
How do you calculate EPC?
EPC, or earnings per click, is your total commission divided by your total clicks over a period. It tells you what each click is worth, and it's most useful when compared with your cost per click.
How do you calculate customer lifetime value in iGaming?
A common approach, used by Better Collective, is average revenue per new depositing customer multiplied by how long those customers stay active.
How long should I wait before judging a campaign?
Long enough for deposits and qualification data to arrive and for the sample to be meaningful. Registrations appear quickly, but deposits, qualified players and revenue often arrive later.
Ready to watch the right numbers? See how the Seven Affiliates iGaming affiliate program works, then apply here.