Guide · Deposits
Measuring First-Time Deposits Accurately
Count a first-time deposit once per account, when your payment system confirms the money arrived, and build the rate on verified accounts. Button clicks, pending payments and repeat deposits do not belong in the count.
Step 1: Write the definition
A suggested definition: the first deposit on an account that the payment system marks as successful, counted once per account, on the date of confirmation. Write down what happens to deposits that are later reversed or charged back; the simplest rule is to keep the original count and report reversals as a separate figure.
Step 2: Send the event from the server
A deposit button click or a "processing" screen is not a deposit. Send the first_deposit event from your server after the payment provider confirms success, or load it from the confirmation record in a daily job. Mark it as a key event in analytics. Do not send amounts, payment methods tied to a person, or card details in the event; a status and a random internal identifier are enough for the funnel.
Step 3: Count once per account
Use the account identifier to make sure only the first successful deposit counts. Payment retries, split deposits and duplicate callbacks from a provider can otherwise create two "first" deposits for one person. A daily check that the number of first_deposit events equals the number of distinct accounts with one is a cheap safeguard.
Step 4: Build the rate on verified accounts
In Great Britain, operators must complete verification "before allowing that customer to gamble," and in Australia identification must be complete before an online gambling account is created. The deposit stage can therefore only start from verified accounts. Divide first-time depositors by verified accounts, not by all registrations, or the verification stage's losses will appear as deposit losses. In the site's default model this step rate is 48%, an illustrative input.
Step 5: Handle the awkward cases
| Case | Rule |
|---|---|
| Pending payment | Not counted until confirmed; report pending separately |
| Failed payment | Not counted; record the failure reason category |
| Reversal or chargeback | Keep the first deposit count; report reversals beside it |
| Deposit blocked by a limit or exclusion | Not counted; the block is the system working |
| Test accounts | Excluded by a flag, before reporting |
Step 6: Attribute with a stated window
First deposits can arrive days after the organic visit that started the path. Choose a lookback window and attribution model, write them next to the number and keep them stable, as the attribution paper explains. If you report cost per FTD, use the same window for spend, as described in first-time deposit economics.
Checklist
- Definition written and agreed.
- Event sent after payment confirmation, with no personal or payment details.
- One count per account, checked daily.
- Rate built on verified accounts.
- Pending, failed, reversed and test cases handled by rule.
Questions
Should deposit amounts be part of the funnel?
Not for acquisition measurement. The funnel counts people. Amounts belong in finance reporting, which carries its own controls and harm-prevention checks.
What if the payment provider confirms hours later?
Count the deposit on the confirmation date. Close each reporting period a day or two after it ends so late confirmations land in the right period.
Do blocked deposits count as lost conversions?
No. A deposit stopped by a limit, a self-exclusion or a failed check is a safeguard working, not a funnel loss to fix.
Sources
Each source was read on October 27, 2026. How we choose sources is set out on the sources and reading list page.
- Gambling Commission, New age and identity verification rules: changes to the LCCP from Tuesday 7 May, published May 3, 2019, updated August 27, 2021.
- AUSTRAC, Strengthened customer identification procedures for online gambling service providers, no date shown.
- Google Analytics Help, Conversions vs. key events in Google Analytics, no date shown.