Commercial
Stickiness
Definition
A measure of how habitually a player engages with a product, often calculated as DAU/MAU or similar engagement intensity metric.
Why it matters
Stickiness is one of the engagement metrics that operators have adopted from broader digital product analytics. The DAU/MAU ratio (daily active users divided by monthly active users) measures how habitually monthly-active players engage. A ratio of 30% means the average monthly-active player engages on roughly 9 days per month; higher ratios signal stronger habit formation and product stickiness.
The metric varies by vertical and segment. Casino is more habit-driven than sportsbook, which is event-driven. VIP players are vastly more sticky than mass-market players. Mobile-first operators typically have higher stickiness than desktop-led operators because mobile access enables more frequent engagement. The trajectory in retention discipline has been toward more nuanced engagement metrics beyond simple active player counts: time-on-app, sessions per week, engagement-weighted retention. Stickiness is one of the broader categories these metrics fall into.
Frequently asked questions
Is high stickiness always good?
Generally yes for commercial performance, but the responsible gambling overlay matters. Extremely high stickiness in specific player profiles can correlate with harm risk. Modern operators monitor stickiness alongside RG signals to identify when engagement is healthy versus when it suggests risk. The blunt commercial metric needs RG-aware interpretation.
How does iGaming stickiness compare to other digital products?
Generally higher than most consumer apps because gambling has strong intrinsic engagement loops. Casino DAU/MAU can run high single-digit to low double-digit; sportsbook is more event-driven and lower in routine periods. The comparison is more useful within segments than at the headline operator level.