Expert Connect
Lifecycle Marketing for Real Money Gaming companies
Learn how top RMG players like Fanduel retain players and maximize LTV with lifecycle marketing
Learn how top RMG players like Fanduel retain players and maximize LTV with lifecycle marketing
The real money gaming (RMG) industry is fiercely competitive, with giants like FanDuel and DraftKings dominating alongside a wave of emerging operators. As legalization expands and digital adoption grows, the battle for players is more intense than ever. However, acquiring users is only half the challenge—the real struggle lies in keeping them engaged. High churn rates, unpredictable betting behavior, and strict marketing regulations make retention a constant uphill battle.
To win, operators need more than just promotions and bonuses. Understanding player milestones, segmenting users effectively, and deploying targeted campaigns are key to maximizing retention and customer lifetime value (LTV). A strong lifecycle marketing strategy ensures that players don’t just place their first bet but stay active and profitable over time.
To help RMG operators tackle this challenge, we at Sortment, have gathered insights from Mario D’Agostino, Former VP, Product, Fanduel and Matteo Iannucci, Former VP, Sportsbook, Fanduel who built and scaled successful lifecycle marketing strategies. This guide breaks down their expertise into a clear, actionable playbook to help operators retain players, increase engagement, and optimize marketing ROI.
While lifecycle marketing is important, how well it works depends on the operator’s business model and position in the market.
RMG companies generally fall into three categories, each with different ways of making money, player behavior, and marketing needs:
Once operators understand their position in the market, the next step is mapping the player journey. Every RMG player follows a series of critical milestones—moments that signal whether they’ll stay or churn.
A player’s lifecycle isn’t random—it’s shaped by six key milestones. These moments determine whether players build habits, cash out, or disappear. Winning operators know these milestones and act fast when players hit them.
1. First Deposit → The Commitment Signal
Signing up is easy but depositing is the real test. It marks the player’s first financial commitment but trust is still fragile. Many drop off if the process is slow or the offer feels misleading.
Key Moves
2. First Bet → Activation or Drop-off
Placing that first bet is a psychological hurdle. Many players deposit, then hesitate. Confusion, uncertainty, or friction here often leads to early churn.
Key Moves
3. Second Deposit → Habit Formation Test
The second deposit is the first real sign of habit formation. Players who reach this stage are far more likely to stick around. Those who hesitate are drifting away.
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4. First Win → Emotional Hook
Winning is a high point—but it can be risky. Players often view a win as a cash-out moment. Without the right nudge, they may celebrate by leaving.
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5. First Withdrawal → Trust Test
The first payout reassures players that the platform is legitimate and builds trust. But it often signals a pause—or an exit—if they feel their session is “complete.” Without a reason to return, many won’t. A slow or frustrating payout process can worsen this. The goal is to reinforce trust while creating a clear path back, using timely nudges or small offers.
Key Moves
6. Multi-Product Play → LTV Accelerator
Players who try both sportsbook and casino—or multiple verticals—are far more valuable. Cross-product engagement reduces churn and drives bigger LTV.
Key Moves
But hitting these milestones isn’t enough—you need to see them coming. That’s where data and segmentation give operators the visibility to track player behavior and intervene before it’s too late.
Without player data, lifecycle marketing fails. Operators who don’t track behavior burn bonus budgets and let valuable players churn unnoticed.
Collecting and using player data is the starting point for reducing churn, maximizing LTV, and optimizing spend.
Key Data to Collect:
This data powers segmentation, CRM automation, and personalized offers.
Once data is collected, group players based on value and behavior.Targeting every player the same is inefficient—high-value players need retention, low-value players need cost-effective nudges.
Segmentation tells you who is valuable—personas explain why they play.Combining both lets operators target behavior, not just spend level.
Data and segmentation lay the groundwork—but it’s what you do with that insight that drives retention. The best operators turn data into action through targeted, automated lifecycle campaigns.
Winning operators don’t rely on chance—they run structured, automated campaigns that engage players at the right moments and prevent churn.
These are the must-have lifecycle campaigns every operator needs:
1. Welcome Journey → Convert Sign-ups to Depositors
Players often sign up out of curiosity but hesitate to deposit or bet. This flow builds trust, reduces friction, and pushes players toward their first real-money action.
Key Plays
2. Early Lifecycle (7-14 Days) → Build Habits
The first two weeks determine if players become long-term users or churn. Consistent engagement, relevant offers, and small rewards drive early betting patterns.
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3. Loyalty Campaigns → Retain High-Value Players
Long-term revenue comes from loyal players and VIPs. Rewarding their activity builds attachment and increases lifetime value (LTV).
Key Plays
4. Lossback Campaign → Catch Frustrated Players
Losing streaks often trigger churn, especially with casual players. Offering cashback on losses softens frustration and keeps players betting.
Key Plays
5. Reactivation Campaign → Bring Back Churned Players
Lapsed players often leave after a cold streak or boredom. Targeted win-back offers can reactivate them—especially if personalized.
Key Plays
Launching campaigns is just the start. To drive real retention and avoid wasting budget, operators must track performance at every stage of the player journey.
Running lifecycle campaigns is not enough—tracking performance, optimizing bonuses, and adapting to seasonality separate profitable operators from those burning budgets.
Tracking the right KPIs at each player stage helps operators spot drop-offs, optimize campaigns, and drive retention
Focus: Turning sign-ups into paying, active players.
Why It Matters: Most churn happens early. If players don’t deposit or bet quickly, they likely never will.
Action: Identify drop-off points in sign-up, deposit, or first-bet flows—fix friction fast.
Focus: Keeping active players betting longer.
Why It Matters: Frequent bettors drive revenue. If active days drop, churn is near.
Action: Use this data to trigger loyalty rewards, personalized offers, or cross-sell nudges when play dips.
Focus: Winning back players before they fully lapse.
Why It Matters: Late reactivation is expensive. If it costs rival acquisition, you’re intervening too late.
Action: Watch for reduced play days—trigger retention offers early. Don’t wait until players vanish.
Data will often reveal another truth—bonuses are both your biggest lever and your biggest risk. Without a strategy, bonuses eat margin. With the right approach, they build habits and increase LTV.
Bonuses are a core lever in RMG, but poorly structured incentives destroy margins. Overusing deposit matches, free bets, and cashback offers often attracts bonus hunters—players who claim rewards but contribute little to long-term revenue.The goal is not just to boost deposits but to extend play and build loyalty.
Tracking Bonus ROI—bonus cost vs. incremental revenue generated—is critical to ensure bonuses drive real player value rather than short-term activity.
1. Tiered Incentives: Match Bonus to Player Value
Bonuses aren’t one-size-fits-all. Treating all players the same leads to margin waste.
2. Personalization: Incentives Based on Player Behavior
Blanket promotions erode margins and miss real engagement opportunities.
Example: Instead of a universal 100% deposit match, reward frequent bettors with escalating perks or milestone-based bonuses tied to ongoing play.
3. Measure Bonus ROI—Every Offer
There’s no perfect bonus—test what works for each player type.
Insight: If a bonus didn’t extend play or raise LTV, it was margin lost.
4. Combat Bonus Abuse: Catch It Early
Bonus abusers inflate metrics but hurt profitability.
5. Experiment with Non-Cash Incentives
Monetary bonuses aren’t always the answer.
Even the best bonus strategy can’t ignore seasonality. Player behavior shifts around major events, holidays, and off-seasons. Operators who adjust their lifecycle approach to these cycles stay ahead of churn.
Player engagement in RMG isn’t steady—it rises and falls around major sporting events, holidays, and off-seasons. Operators who calibrate lifecycle marketing to these shifts drive higher deposits during peak periods and reduce churn when interest naturally dips. Those who ignore seasonality often burn budget during quiet times and miss the revenue spikes around major events.
1. Pre-Event Build-Up → Capture Peak Intent
Before big events, betting intent spikes—capitalize early.
2. Live Event Boosts → Keep Players Betting
During high-traffic periods, engagement-based incentives work better than heavy bonuses—players are already primed to bet.
3. Post-Event Reactivation → Catch the Drop-Off
After big events, player activity often crashes—this is where most churn begins.
4. Off-Peak Retention → Sustain Activity
Churn risk is highest during sports off-seasons or quiet months.
Adjusting for seasonality is crucial, but smaller operators face a bigger challenge—they lack the resources of industry giants. This is where lifecycle automation becomes the equalizer.
Big RMG brands dominate on acquisition, but smaller operators can win on retention and efficiency. Lifecycle marketing is the equalizer—it allows lean teams to drive player value through automation, personalization, and timely engagement.
Sortment helps operators do this—automating lifecycle campaigns, real-time messaging, and multi-channel outreach—without large teams or budgets.
1. AI-Driven Segmentation
Data-driven segmentation is the backbone of lifecycle marketing. Relying on mass promotions wastes budget and results in over-bonusing low-value players while neglecting high-value ones.
With Sortment’s AI-powered segmentation and custom player attributes, you can:
2. Real-Time Messaging
Player behavior shifts quickly—real-time, event-driven messages are key to keeping them active. A message 24 hours late is often too late.
With Sortment, you can:
Sortment automates these triggers, so lean teams can deliver timely, personalized messages without manual effort.
3. Cross-Channel Consistency
Disjointed messages across email, SMS, push, and app create friction and reduce response rates. Players expect a seamless experience when moving between platforms.
With Sortment, you can:
Our work with leaders like Mario and Matteo reinforced a clear truth: in RMG, long-term success depends on retaining players and maximizing their lifetime value—not just acquiring them.
Players churn quickly without the right interventions. Operators who identify key milestones—like first deposit, first win, or signs of inactivity—and engage players with timely, personalized offers, build habits and drive repeat play.Blanket promotions waste margin—targeted, data-driven lifecycle marketing is what keeps players active and profitable.
Sortment helps operators automate this approach—tracking player behavior, segmenting users in real time, and triggering the right messages across email, SMS, and push—all without needing a large team.
If you want to reduce churn, improve retention, and grow player value, reach out to us—we can help your RMG business scale lifecycle marketing with Sortment.
