Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)
ARPU is revenue divided by the number of active users over a period — the quickest way to compare how much value different player segments generate.
What it means
Average Revenue Per User divides revenue — usually GGR or NGR, so always check which — by active users in a period, typically a month (ARPMAU). A related cut, ARPPU, divides by paying users only, which matters in gaming where a large share of registered accounts deposit nothing. ARPU is a snapshot; player lifetime value is the same idea stretched over a player's whole lifecycle.
Why it matters for operators
ARPU is the fastest way to compare segments, products, and markets on one axis: crash-game players versus slots players, one country versus another, VIP tiers versus the base. It anchors acquisition math — a market where CPA exceeds a year of ARPU doesn't clear any hurdle rate — and it exposes mix shifts early: a falling blended ARPU with stable revenue means growth is coming from lower-value players, which changes what a defensible bonus budget looks like. The classic trap is chasing headline ARPU into whale concentration; a book where 2% of customers drive most of the deposits carries regulatory and credit risk that the average hides.
Example
An operator's casino vertical shows 40,000 monthly actives and 1.2M NGR — a 30 ARPU. Its instant-games vertical shows 25,000 actives and 500,000 NGR — a 20 ARPU but with materially higher session frequency and better month-two retention. Which vertical deserves the next acquisition dollar depends on LTV, not on the single-month ARPU snapshot.