Write the event before counting it
Start with a plain definition: a new eligible account makes its first successful deposit with the specified operator. Then name the system that determines new-account status and successful payment. “First” can become ambiguous across brands, migrated accounts or reactivated users, so resolve the operator boundary explicitly.
This is a reporting specification, not a universal legal definition. Published programmes add their own qualification rules. Arena Affiliates, for example, defines a qualified player using several conditions beyond a deposit, including attribution, verification and permitted territory.
Separate occurrence from commission qualification
A payment event can occur without becoming payable acquisition. The contract may require a particular minimum, window or permitted activity. Keep those rules in a separate qualification field rather than silently changing the historical payment event.
A simple record has event time, first-deposit status, referral attribution, qualification decision and decision reason. Use operator-approved aggregate reporting or controlled pseudonymous identifiers. The creator does not need a player’s identity, payment details or verification documents to understand a commission total.
Resolve the edge cases in advance
Ask how the programme handles a failed payment followed by a successful one, a refunded deposit, a previous customer at another brand and a first deposit outside the reporting window. Confirm how time zones and currency conversions are treated. A shared abbreviation cannot settle those questions.
Do not invent a universal qualification threshold from a competitor’s offer. The applicable signed plan controls the commission. A marketing report may still show the broader acquisition funnel, provided its labels explain why a figure differs from the payable count.
Talk to us
Pick a 30-minute slot, or DM us on Telegram.
Need help applying this to your campaign? Tell us what you’re planning.
Pricing is scoped to your brief. We reply within one working day.
Use a labelled reconciliation example
In this hypothetical example, 80 new accounts complete an initial successful payment. Five fall outside the agreed campaign window and four fail a separate contract eligibility rule. The reporting ledger shows 80 observed first depositors and 71 commission-qualified acquisitions, with the exclusions explained.
Do not add those two figures or call the difference tracking failure without checking the reasons. If a later reversal occurs, retain the correction and reporting version. Rewriting the original export without an audit trail makes the creator and finance team compare different histories.
| Field | Decision to write |
|---|---|
| Account boundary | Operator or brand scope and treatment of pre-existing accounts |
| Payment state | Exact successful event and handling of failed or reversed payments |
| Qualification | Applicable eligibility criteria, separate from event occurrence |
| Time | Event clock, campaign window and reporting cutoff |
| Reconciliation | Provisional status, reason categories and statement version |
Carry the definition into the booking
Attach the event and qualification specification to any CPA or hybrid deal. Name the reporting owner, cutoff, provisional period and dispute route. The buyer and creator should know which evidence is final enough for invoicing and which figures can still change.
Use cost per qualified FTD only after its denominator is stable and the spend scope is clear. Deposits are not revenue, and an FTD is not evidence that gambling benefits the player. Responsible-marketing controls remain separate conditions, never obstacles to bypass for a higher count.
After defining the qualified event, inspect the registration-to-FTD drop-off without changing the definition mid-report.
Frequently asked questions
Is every first deposit a payable FTD?
Not necessarily. The observed payment event and the contract’s qualification criteria can differ. Show both definitions and reconcile them.
Is an FTD the same as a registration?
No. A registration creates an account. A first successful deposit is a later, separately defined event; neither guarantees eligibility or ongoing activity.
Results from campaigns our team has run
Web3 game · gaming creators, streams and events
Illuvium
6,550 new players and 24,000+ followers
Read the Illuvium caseCrypto exchange · KOLs on X, YouTube and TikTok
Binance
4,245 new users and more than $510M in trading volume, double the target
Read the Binance caseCrypto banking · influencers and growth
Swissmoney
32,000+ users onboarded and CPA cut 4x
Read the Swissmoney case
3betmedia launched in 2026; most of these campaigns ran before the name existed. See all 19 cases.
Sources and further reading
Primary references support the limited platform, product or rights facts above. Operational examples are hypothetical; this page does not provide legal approval or a performance guarantee.
Related reading
- Casino Creator CAC: Calculate Cost per Depositing Player
- Registration-to-FTD Conversion: Find the Drop-Off
- Rejected FTDs and Chargebacks: Reconcile a Streamer Campaign
- Casino Streamer Deals: CPA, RevShare or Hybrid
- Gross vs Net Deposits: A Casino Campaign Reporting Guide
- First vs Repeat Depositors: Read a Streamer Cohort
- Negative Carryover in Casino Streamer Deals
