Definition
FTD (First-Time Deposit) refers to a new player who makes their first real-money deposit at an online casino or sportsbook after being referred through an affiliate's tracking link. It is the single most important conversion metric in performance-based iGaming affiliate marketing, since it marks the moment a visitor transitions from a free registrant into a paying, monetizable customer.
From a technical standpoint, the FTD event is recorded by the operator's tracking system the moment a player's deposit clears - not at registration and not at the point of adding payment details, but specifically when funds successfully hit the player's account balance for the first time. Most CPA and Hybrid commission structures are triggered directly by this event, often combined with a minimum deposit threshold (e.g., a deposit under €10 might not qualify as a valid FTD under the contract terms) and sometimes a wagering requirement to filter out deposit-and-withdraw abuse.
Affiliates track FTD conversion rate as a core KPI: the percentage of clicks or registrations that convert into an actual FTD. Industry benchmarks vary widely by traffic source and vertical, but a healthy click-to-FTD conversion rate for quality organic or SEO traffic in mature markets might range from 3% to 8%, while paid traffic or lower-intent visitors often convert at 1% or below.
Affiliates use this metric to optimize landing pages, adjust targeting, and compare the relative quality of different operator offers and traffic sources.
FTD volume is important in iGaming because it is the primary driver of affiliate revenue under CPA and Hybrid models, and it directly determines the pool of active depositing players that generates future NGR under RevShare deals. Operators also use aggregate FTD data across their affiliate network to forecast player acquisition costs, optimize their own marketing budgets, and identify which affiliate partners deliver the most cost-efficient, high-quality traffic relative to churn and lifetime value.
A frequent point of confusion and dispute between affiliates and operators is what technically counts as a valid FTD - some operators exclude deposits made via certain payment methods, apply anti-fraud filters that retroactively disqualify FTDs flagged as suspicious, or require a minimum number of real-money bets placed before crediting the FTD. Affiliates should always clarify FTD qualification criteria in writing before sending traffic, cross-check their own click-tracking data against the operator's reported FTD numbers monthly, and flag discrepancies quickly, since delayed disputes are much harder to resolve after multiple reporting cycles have passed.
Worked example
If 100 visitors click your link and 15 deposit, your FTD count is 15 (15% conversion rate).
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Frequently asked questions
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