The model in one line
CPA stands for cost per acquisition. It pays you a fixed amount for each player you send who goes on to deposit. The fee is identical whether that player deposits once and disappears or stays for three years.
Earnings = qualifying players × CPA rateBecause your revenue per player is fixed before you spend, you can price a campaign in advance. Nothing about your payout depends on how the casino's month goes. Put your own numbers through the CPA calculator to see the shape of it.
What makes a player qualify
A CPA is almost never paid on a registration. It is paid when the player clears a qualification bar, and that bar is written into your deal rather than set by the industry. The usual components:
- A minimum first deposit, so a player putting in the smallest amount that unlocks a bonus does not trigger a full fee.
- Sometimes a wagering requirement. The player has to stake a certain amount, not merely deposit it.
- A review window before the conversion confirms, which is when obvious fraud and chargebacks surface.
- GEO and channel conditions. The player has to be in an accepted country, and your traffic has to come from a channel the casino allows.
CPA and the FTD
Nearly every CPA deal settles on the first-time deposit: the player's first real-money deposit at that casino. It is the point where the operator knows the player is real, and the point where your fee becomes payable.
What an FTD is, exactly covers the edge cases, including why one person can legitimately produce an FTD at two different casinos.
When CPA is the right choice
- You buy media. Paying for traffic up front only works if your payout per player is known up front too.
- Your players do not stay long. Incentivised, comparison and one-off campaign traffic converts and moves on. Take the money once.
- You need cash flow now. A revenue share is worth more later. CPA is worth more this month.
- You are testing a new casino. Fix your downside while you find out how the brand converts your audience.
The counter-argument is CPA vs RevShare: if your players stay, a share overtakes a flat fee and then keeps going.
CPA rates at TopStep Partners
Our ceiling is up to €450 per first deposit. That is a programme maximum across the roster, not a rate on offer to everyone. The real figure is agreed per casino when your account manager sets up your deal, and it moves with your volume, your markets and the quality of what you send.
Which of our casinos run a flat-fee model, and in which countries, is on the iGaming affiliate programs coverage pages.
