Churn Rate
Churn rate is the share of active players who stop playing over a given period - the metric that quietly decides profitability.
What it means
Churn rate measures how many of your active players go inactive over a defined window, usually a month. Define "active" and "churned" clearly, because the definition changes the number: a sports bettor who plays weekly and a slots player who plays daily churn on different clocks. It's the inverse of retention, and it compounds - small differences in monthly churn produce large differences in lifetime value.
Why it matters for operators
Churn is where money leaks. Acquiring a player is expensive, so losing them early wastes the CPA you paid before they ever paid you back. Predicting churn before it happens - flagging the behavioural signals that precede it - is one of the highest-ROI uses of a CDP and personalization, because a save is far cheaper than a fresh acquisition.
Example
A brand cuts monthly churn from 25% to 20%. It looks small, but across a year it can nearly double the average player's active lifespan and the revenue that comes with it.