Value vs. Volume: how a US sportsbook operator drove 73% less traffic that resulted in 4.7x more net deposits

A large US sportsbook operator was generating tens of millions of clicks each month, yet growth in net deposits lagged behind spend. While acquisition scale appeared strong, the underlying economics told a different story: inefficient media allocations, weak early-funnel performance, and inconsistent player value.

In the initial 90 day engagement, Intelitics helped the operator fundamentally reset how acquisition success was defined, shifting focus away from raw traffic and toward measurable value. The outcome was a dramatic improvement in efficiency, funnel performance, and unit economics.

The challenge: volume without transparency

In the world of performance marketing, it’s easy to get lost in a world of metrics: impressions, clicks, views, etc. You see a large number of clicks and automatically think “this campaign is a success,” but it’s not the clicks that measure success. What happened after the click? What happened after the registration? What happened after the first deposit? The answer to these questions can be found when using the right analytics to track down the true value of every click. This is Intelitics’ number one key to success: build momentum based on the value not the volume.

Like many operators, this operator's focus was on the volume of traffic that can be driven to the app, with little execution on conversions. Tens of millions of clicks were generated, but traffic quality varied significantly across channels. While top of funnel metrics appeared strong, downstream performance revealed growing inefficiencies. 

The operator faced several compounding issues:

• Media spend optimized for traffic, not outcomes
• Rising CAC pressure as low-intent users dominated the funnel
• Limited ability to distinguish between volume-driving and value-driving sources

The result was an acquisition engine that produced activity, but not proportional economic return.

The Intelitics approach: reallocating spend toward value 

Rather than increasing spend or expanding reach, Intelitics helped the operator reallocate acquisition budgets toward higher intent, higher value paths. By applying attribution and channel intelligence the operator was able to improve in several ways:

1. Identifying acquisition sources that reliably produced first-time depositors
2. Eliminating junk traffic that consumed budget without contributing value
3. Shifting optimization away from clicks and toward deposit driven outcomes

By using this new framework, performance was transformed to be able to measure how decisions were made.

The results: from volume to value

1. 73% less traffic, 4.7x more net deposits

Within the first 90 days, this operator reduced traffic volume aggressively. Clicks declined from 22.2M to 5.95M, a ~73% reduction. Despite this reduction in scale, net deposits increased exponentially representing a 366% increase, or 4.7× growth. 

This outcome demonstrated media efficiency rather than scale. You’re not buying more users, you’re buying better users. As low-intent traffic was removed, CAC pressure collapsed while revenue generated per dollar spent increased significantly. This is a direct result of reallocating spend toward higher-intent, higher-value acquisition paths. This screams contribution margin optimization, not “growth at all costs."

2. Click to FTD conversion improved by 5.5x

A major driver of the improved revenue performance was a dramatic increase in early-funnel efficiency, or as we’d call it: pure funnel integrity. Click to FTD conversion improved from 0.009% to 0.050%. This represented a 455% improvement, or a 5.5x increase.

This was not the result of a creative experimentation or surface level optimization. This was the direct result of attribution plus channel intelligence eliminating junk traffic. Every downstream metric gets cheaper because fewer dollars die early in the funnel. By identifying and prioritizing acquisition sources, the operator increased click to FTD efficiency by over 5x turning the funnel from a leaky pipe into a profit engine. This is the metric that CFOs trust.

3. Average deposit per qualified depositer nearly tripled.

This is where unit economics became undeniable. The operator's average deposit per qualified depositor increased from $1,581 to $4,388. This represented a 177% increase, nearly 2..8x higher. The fascinating aspect to these metrics is that the operator didn't just get more FTDs, they got higher value players. This compounds LTV immediately and reduces payback periods. This demonstrated that smarter acquisition decisions directly translated into stronger player economics. This is LTV leverage, not just a conversion lift. 

Performance that changes the business

By shifting focus from volume-drive acquisition to value-driven optimization, the operator achieved simultaneous improvements across traffic efficiency, funnel integrity, and player economics. If reduced to its core truth: In 90 days, Intelitics helped this operator trade volume for value, cutting traffic by 73% while driving a 4.7x increase in net deposits and materially improving every core unit-economics lever.

If your team is still optimizing toward clicks while contribution margins tighten, it may be time to reassess how performance is measured. Intelitics helps operators identify which acquisition paths actually drive deposits, player value and sustainable growth. Talk to us to see how reallocating spend toward higher-intent traffic can materially improve your unit economics, without increasing budget.