Context
For a long time, the standard playbook for iGaming user acquisition was straightforward: maximize low-cost installs and celebrate the first deposit. But Lottoland recognized that surface-level volume can be a misleading indicator.
This case study highlights how Tappx, leveraging its deep expertise in iGaming growth strategies, developed and executed a high-performance user acquisition strategy for Lottoland, one of the world’s leading online lottery and gaming operators. To bring this strategy to life at scale, Tappx relied on Kayzen‘s mobile demand-side platform (DSP), leveraging its advanced AI suite and full programmatic campaign controls to deliver transparent, high-quality user acquisition outcomes.
By pivoting away from quick wins and toward long-term behavioral value, Tappx redefined Lottoland’s approach to user acquisition. Instead of prioritizing early-stage volume, they focused on compounding user engagement over time.
The performance during the iOS UK 2026 optimization period clearly demonstrates the impact of this strategic evolution compared to the baseline:
- +275% uplift in repeat depositors reaching the 5th deposit milestone
- -36% cost per repeat depositor
- +53% improvement in install-to-loyal-player conversion rate
This transition proved that in a mature iGaming market, true efficiency is unlocked not by cutting upfront acquisition costs, but by securing the players who continue to generate value over the long haul. From these learnings, they rewrote their strategy to optimize for a much deeper funnel milestone: the 5th deposit.
Challenge
Most iGaming UA campaigns are measured by installs and first deposits. That’s a reasonable starting point, but it’s not what drives lifetime value.
For this campaign, the objective was to prioritize players who continue depositing over time, with success defined by progression through deposit milestones, particularly the 2nd through 5th deposit.
This required a shift from acquisition efficiency to long-term behavioral value as the primary KPI. That’s a harder brief, and it required a different kind of campaign.
Approach
The success of this campaign came down to perfect synergy. Tappx brought the media buying strategy, the iGaming vertical expertise, and the UK compliance guardrails. Kayzen provided the infrastructure, the intelligence, and the precision. The result wasn’t just a successful campaign, it was a repeatable playbook for quality-led iGaming user acquisition (UA).
The campaign was run using the kAI Suite, Kayzen’s intelligence layer across the full customer programmatic journey, to support key decisions across planning, activation, and optimization.
Rather than treating planning, bidding, and optimization as separate steps, the team used Kayzen’s AI intelligence layers to connect all three stages into a single performance loop.
Start with inventory intelligence, not assumptions
Before launch, Tappx used kAI Explorer to map the iOS UK supply landscape, analyzing available inventory, ad formats, pricing dynamics, and audience distribution.
This gave the team a clear understanding of where high-quality iGaming traffic was most concentrated, enabling more informed entry into the market and reducing early-stage inefficiency.
Run broad, then concentrate fast
Once live, campaign delivery was optimized through kAI Core’s ML-driven bidding and bid shading systems.
Tappx used it to:
- Prioritize inventory showing stronger downstream deposit behavior
- Dynamically shift budget toward higher-performing supply paths
- Reduce exposure to low-intent traffic at scale
- Shift spend into high-performing paths in real-time
This allowed optimization to move beyond install performance and focus on repeat deposit value as the core quality signal. The strategy was built around downstream value, prioritizing repeat deposit behavior over CPI. With Kayzen’s transparency and app-ID-level reporting, the team was able to rapidly reallocate spend toward premium inventory while eliminating zero-intent traffic.
Use diagnostics to cut waste, not just report it
As scale increased, Tappx relied on kAI Companion, specifically its Bid Diagnostics functionality, to understand auction-level behavior and supply quality.
This enabled the team to:
- Identify why bids were filtered before the auction
- Isolate placements generating installs without downstream value
- Continuously refine supply quality and reallocate spend toward higher-performing inventory
These insights created a feedback loop between performance outcomes and supply decisions.
The kAI Suite: Three Kayzen tools. One quality signal. A campaign that got better the longer it ran.
Impact
As the campaign matured, the data proved that optimizing for deep-funnel signals translates directly into compounding long-term value.
Evaluating the optimization window against early baseline performance, the campaign unlocked compounding efficiency gains and reduced acquisition expenses.
The campaign maintained a competitive CPI range throughout scaling, while total spend increased. Efficiency improved rather than degraded as volume grew.
From Lottoland
The campaign reinforced a key learning for both Tappx and Lottoland: early-stage metrics such as installs and first deposits are not reliable indicators of long-term player value.
Sustained performance came from aligning optimization with repeat deposit behavior, proving that deeper-funnel milestones are a more reliable signal of quality and scalability than install-based metrics alone.
As a result, the team shifted how success and inventory quality were evaluated, prioritizing downstream user behavior over surface-level acquisition efficiency.
Kayzen enabled optimization toward downstream deposit outcomes, while the kAI Suite provided intelligence support across each stage of the customer journey: from planning and activation through to ongoing optimization.
Overall, the campaign demonstrated that in iGaming UA, quality-driven signals are what make sustainable scale possible with the right team and toolstack in place.
