Daily active users: practical tips to expand DAU in iGaming

Growing and maintaining your user base in iGaming is akin to tending a tree. You need the right conditions, consistent care, and a strategy that helps it thrive throughout the year. One of the best indicators that your platform is healthy is the number of Daily Active Users (DAU).

DAU represents the number of players who show up and engage every single day. Sounds easy, but don’t let the simplicity fool you. It’s a reflection of your platform’s appeal, how easy it is to use, and whether players see real value in sticking around. So, how do you keep that number rising? Let’s dig into the strategies and tools that help daily engagement thrive.

What is DAU in iGaming?

DAU tracks how many unique users take action on your platform within 24 hours, like logging in, playing, depositing, or claiming a bonus. It’s a core metric for daily engagement. But to get a full picture of performance, it should be assessed alongside retention, ARPPU, session length, and user segments.

Together, these metrics provide a fuller picture of user behavior and platform performance.

DAU can be broken down into:

• Average Daily Active Users (ADAU): A 30-day average that smooths out daily fluctuations.
• New vs. Returning Users: Helps measure user acquisition vs. user loyalty.
• Weekly Active Users (WAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU): Broader snapshots that show engagement trends and platform stickiness.

To determine your DAU ratio, you will need the following data:

But it doesn’t operate in a vacuum. You can also analyze interaction types, session frequency, or device data to unlock behavioral insights and spot optimization opportunities. To understand your platform’s health and performance, you need to look at DAU in the context of other metrics. 

• Retention rate: how often users return
• ARPPU: how much each paying player contributes
• Session length: how long users stay
• User segmentation: who your users are and how they behave

When evaluating DAU alongside other metrics, remember:

• A high influx of new users without solid retention often leads to churn.
• A strong retention score but slow new user acquisition causes stagnation.

The best-case scenario is consistent new users and strong retention. That’s what drives steady DAU growth and boosts revenue. The more active users you have, the more likely you are to see deposits, repeat bets, and higher revenue per session. 

The progression typically follows this sequence:

What happens after a user’s first bet matters most. Continued interaction increases the chances of repeat bets, making active users a clear driver of revenue. Hence, active users wield a direct influence on revenue:

In short, DAU is a strong leading indicator, but only when paired with supporting metrics does it give you the full picture.

Growing DAU: think like a gardener

Increasing your DAU is like nurturing a tree. There are no magic beans to make it flourish overnight. It requires steady, well-thought-out steps and consistent care. But hey — we’ve got you. The following manual will help you keep both your users and your DAU tree healthy, happy, and thriving.

1. The seed: user acquisition

You need to start with good soil. That means attracting users who are genuinely interested in your platform. Use multichannel strategies such as:

• Affiliate marketing and targeted traffic networks are effective for user acquisition. By collaborating with affiliates familiar with local markets, iGaming platforms can attract engaged players. These channels enable cost-effective, performance-based budgeting since you only pay for actual traffic and conversions, supporting daily active user growth.
• Using localized ads can increase click-through rates and engagement. When ads use the local language, culture, and seasonal themes, they become more relatable. This makes people more likely to interact with them.
• Partnering with influencers and streamers is an effective way to promote your platform and engage audiences. Live gameplay demos allow users to see your games in action, building trust and targeting active gaming communities for better conversions and engagement.
• Onboarding bonuses and first-deposit incentives effectively attract new users. A welcome bonus makes it easier for new users to join, while first-deposit rewards get them engaged early. To improve relevance and increase conversion rates, personalize these offers based on where users come from, what device they use, or their previous interactions.

Each new player is a seed packed with potential. But turning that potential into a strong, flourishing part of your platform requires more than just acquisition. 

2. The water: retention mechanics

Retention is the daily hydration your tree needs. Without it, users churn quickly. Effective watering strategies include:

• Loyalty programs with on-platform utility like Trueplay’s Play to Earn offering players a reason to return daily. Users can earn rewards by staking tokens on the platform, keeping them engaged even when not actively playing. This continuous engagement loop creates habits and increases the chance of repeat visits.
• Sending personalized push and email notifications triggered by player behavior, for example, reminding users who haven’t logged in for a day that a bonus is waiting or notifying jackpot hunters when a pot is nearing its limit.
• Time-limited missions and streak-based rewards giving players short-term goals and encouraging consistent engagement. For example, giving users a reward for logging in five days in a row or for finishing specific tasks within a set timeframe can help create a habit. These features encourage users to return by making daily interactions feel like a fun challenge.
• Real-time alerts notify players about upcoming jackpots, ongoing tournaments, or new games. For example, sending a push notification when a jackpot prize goes over a certain amount can encourage players to log in more often and engage immediately.

3. The sunlight: community and belonging

The best trees grow in sunlight. Strong platforms thrive on community.

According to GetStream, features like live chat, social feeds, and interactive leaderboards can significantly improve user stickiness. People show up for the game but stay for the people.

• Integrate chat during gameplay and live streams
• Host streamer-led giveaways and Q&A events
• Allow players to show off badges, win history, or status tiers

This sense of community builds an emotional connection, which is key to daily engagement.

4. The roots: platform infrastructure

A tree with weak roots can’t grow tall. Your tech foundation must support user growth:

• Ensure fast load times and low latency
• Reduce friction in navigation and payments
• Simplify sign-up/log-in flows
• Add support for multiple languages and time zones

A smooth and accessible user experience makes it easier for players to return every day without obstacles.

How Trueplay boosts DAU: your nutrient system

At Trueplay, we’ve designed tools that act like high-quality fertilizer for DAU. One of the most effective is Hold to Earn — a loyalty program that rewards players for staying engaged.

Players who join the program stake their rewards for a set duration (e.g., 8 hours, 1 day, or 3 days). At the end of that period, if the platform GGR is positive, players receive a reward proportional to their stake. If not, they get their staked tokens back.

This program:

• Increases session frequency and stake size
• Builds long-term loyalty through recurring rewards
• Promotes non-transactional stickiness even when players aren’t actively betting

Hold to Earn has shown real, measurable results:

• Retention increase by 18% in the first few months
• Deposit volume growth of around 10%
• An additional 5.6% in NGR generated through loyalty engagement

Plus, it’s fully automated and simple to implement, making it an ideal low-lift solution for boosting DAU.

Additional tips and trends to expand DAU

To further enhance the growth and health of your DAU tree, consider implementing a series of strategic nurturing techniques:

• Dynamic content curation: use behavior-based recommendations and spotlight new or trending games
• In-app social loops: let players follow each other, leave reactions, and join clubs or missions
• Progress transparency: show progress bars, next-level milestones, and reward previews
• A/B testing for optimization: test onboarding flows, CTA placements, or even color schemes
• Real-time feedback: use progress popups or streak alerts to reinforce daily activity

Turbomates also highlights the importance of syncing multichannel communication strategies, messaging across email, SMS, and in-app tools to reach users where they are and nudge them back at the right moments.

Final words

DAU is the heartbeat of your iGaming platform. And like a tree, it needs consistent attention, quality nourishment, and thoughtful strategies to grow strong.

With the right mix of smart user acquisition, retention-focused design, community-building features, and tools like Trueplay’s Hold to Earn, you can build a platform where players belong.

Want to see how Trueplay can help your DAU thrive? Book a demo, and let’s grow your tree together.