Payment methods are the real engine behind acquisition, retention, and long-term growth—and operators who get this right aren’t just playing the game; they’re winning it. Ready to elevate your payment strategy? Let’s dive in.
Why payment methods matter
When players sign up for an online gaming platform, the first real “test” isn’t the welcome bonus or the layout of the homepage—it’s whether they can move their money quickly, safely, and in the way they prefer. Payment methods are essential to that experience.
They determine who signs up, who stays, and who becomes a long-term, high-value player. In other words, smart payment choices don’t just support your platform — they actively shape customer acquisition, retention, and growth. Let’s break down why they matter at each stage of the player journey.
Player acquisition: How great payment options turn visitors into depositors
When it comes to acquiring new players, payments are one of the biggest—and most overlooked—decision-making factors. In fact, a Paysafe study revealed that 37% of bettors say streamlined payments are the most important factor when choosing a betting site—more important than brand trust, odds, or promotions.
And 26% say they judge a platform by whether it offers their preferred payment methods. Translation: if players don’t see logos they know and trust, they leave faster than a bonus hunter confronted with a high rollover requirement.
Even small moments of friction can cost real customers. Research shows that if the deposit process takes more than 60 seconds, 25–30% of players abandon registration entirely—a massive loss due to slow loading screens and clunky forms.
On the other hand, when operators get payments right, acquisition potential skyrockets. Simplified options like one-click deposits and instant bank transfers can increase deposit conversion rates by 30–40%—a gain no acquisition strategy should ignore.
And payment failures during registration send an even clearer message: 52% of bettors have had a deposit declined—and 17% never returned. In markets like Brazil, where 94% of deposits are under R$100, the message is unmistakable: new players expect fast, easy, mobile-friendly ways to move small amounts of money. Offer frictionless payments, and they’re far more likely to choose your platform over the next one in their search results.
Player retention: Fast payments, loyal players
When it comes to keeping players engaged, payments are not just a technical detail—they’re a loyalty engine. Paysafe found that an impressive 75% of sports bettors say a smooth payment experience is one of the main reasons they stay with a platform. That’s right: the fastest route to a player’s heart may be through their wallet.
Fast and reliable withdrawals also play a crucial role. In Brazil, 48% of bettors choose betting platforms that make it easy to cash out their winnings—because nothing ruins the experience like waiting hours (or days) to receive money. And platforms that process withdrawals in under 15 minutes consistently show higher ongoing engagement. Players trust what feels instant.
Conversely, slow or complicated payments are one of the biggest churn risks. A global study shows that 49% of players—and 60% of those who have experienced payment issues—would switch to a platform offering faster withdrawals.
Half of your user base is effectively saying: “If you delay me, I’m leaving.”
The truth is simple: easy deposits keep players playing, but fast and reliable withdrawals bring them back. When operators invest in high-quality payment tools, they’re not just improving UX—they’re protecting retention.
Growth: When payments flow, your business grows
When your payment system is smooth, modern, and aligned with player expectations, growth shifts from a goal to an inevitability. Industry reports show that optimizing payment methods through simplified deposits, mobile-native flows, and local options can increase deposit conversions by 20–40%, especially in competitive markets.
And when operators take it a step further—using integrated payments, geolocated methods, and smart payment routing—conversion rates climb even higher. This isn’t just about increasing deposits — it’s about increasing paying users, transaction volume, and the foundation for global expansion.
The ecosystem reflects this momentum: the global iGaming payment orchestration market is growing rapidly as operators demand solutions capable of managing multiple payment methods, currencies, and regions at scale.
As players increasingly expect flawless payment experiences—instant deposits, faster cash-outs, and support for local methods—operators with robust payment infrastructure are best positioned to capture a growing share of a booming global market.
Security: KYC and AML tools
Failures in KYC and AML are costly—and not just in fines. First-party and identity-based fraud cost the online gaming industry billions: one analysis estimated US$2.8 billion in losses in 2024 due to first-party fraud alone, demonstrating how quickly bad actors can drain operator margins when identity controls are weak.
Regulators also penalize operators heavily when AML controls fail: high-profile enforcement actions and multimillion-dollar fines show both the financial risk and the reputational damage that follows.
Robust, automated identity verification and real-time AML monitoring reduce these risks and protect payment infrastructure: fewer chargebacks, lower fraud losses, and reduced likelihood of catastrophic regulatory penalties that could limit payment partners or block market access.
But security tools also support growth: poorly designed or slow KYC processes create friction that directly harms acquisition and early retention. Studies show extremely high abandonment rates—60–70%—in digital onboarding funnels where verification is slow or requires too many steps.
At the same time, customers prefer companies that protect their data and identity—and faster, more efficient KYC improves conversion and reduces false positives, enabling legitimate players to complete registration, make deposits, and stay active.
In summary: invest in fast, accurate KYC/AML to reduce fraud losses, avoid fines, and keep more of the players you worked hard to acquire.
PSPs: Fewer declines, more satisfied players
Having a broad and diverse set of PSPs—multiple high-quality payment service providers—is no longer optional for iGaming platforms; it has become essential. According to a 2025 industry analysis, 62% of deposit declines in iGaming were due to “geographic mismatch or limited PSP routing”, meaning many players simply couldn’t fund their accounts because the operator’s PSP didn’t support the correct region or payment method.
Without a multi-PSP approach, downtime from a single provider, regulatory issues, or processing limitations can block deposits instantly—cutting off entire segments of players. This results in lost acquisition, lost deposit volume, and long-term brand damage.
Additionally, offering a variety of payment options is strongly correlated with higher conversion and better retention. A global Paysafe survey found that fast and easy payments were the most important factor for 34–37% of bettors when choosing a sportsbook—more important than brand, odds, or promotions.
Availability of preferred payment methods was cited by 25–27% of respondents. For retention, 75–82% of existing bettors said that payments (smooth deposits/withdrawals + method availability) are essential for staying loyal to a brand.
In short: a wide, well-curated range of PSPs reduces rejection rates and downtime (so you don’t lose players at the point of payment), supports local/regional payment habits (boosting conversion), and meets user expectations for speed and convenience—keeping players engaged and loyal.
InPlaySoft: Easy payments with maximum security
InPlaySoft builds, delivers, and maintains scalable, stable, and fast-deployment iGaming platform solutions for casino, sports betting, and eSports operators who demand not only success but consistent growth.
As part of this offering, InPlaySoft provides a payment solution designed with both performance and compliance in mind. We use advanced encryption technology and essential KYC and AML tools to ensure all sensitive data and transactions are secure, confidential, and compliant.
In addition, we partner with the best PSPs for your players, so you don’t need to worry about finding the perfect combination—casino and sportsbook transactions are fast, efficient, and secure. This means operators connected to InPlaySoft don’t need to build or maintain complex PSP infrastructures: selecting and integrating the best PSPs is handled by InPlaySoft.
This approach—combining robust security (via encryption + KYC/AML), compliance, and a pre-integrated suite of PSPs—helps ensure deposits and withdrawals flow smoothly, reducing friction at critical moments in the player journey.
By aligning strong payment systems with compliance and security, InPlaySoft helps operators avoid the pitfalls that undermine acquisition and retention: players abandoning registration or first deposits due to blocked or slow payments; withdrawals affecting trust and loyalty; regulatory or fraud issues disrupting operations or damaging brand reputation.
With InPlaySoft’s payment tools, operators benefit from end-to-end visibility, real-time monitoring, and fraud detection/prevention—all contributing to securing operator revenue and delivering players a reliable, professional experience.
Source: InPlaySoft
