Ivan Bolonikhin
Founder, Sellrise
Founder of Sellrise. I work on forecasts for every player and a daily list of who to keep for online casinos, and I write down how it works, what it costs and where it does not fit.
Articles by Ivan Bolonikhin
What is a retention CRM for online casinos?
A retention CRM for online casinos keeps player history, forecasts who will leave or become VIP, and tells your team who to contact today. What it does, what it does not, and how it differs from a generic CRM.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleHow to find the players about to leave your online casino
A practical walkthrough for casino retention teams: what data you need, which signals matter, how to build and check a churn forecast, and how to turn it into a daily list your team can act on.
8 November 2026 · 8 min read
Read the articleHow casino CRM software is priced: seats, GGR share or subscription
Casino CRM and retention software is usually priced per seat, as a share of GGR, or as a subscription by volume. How each works, when each is the honest choice, and the questions to ask before you sign.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleWhat is player churn in an online casino, and how do you measure it?
Player churn is a player who stops playing. There is no cancel button, so you have to define it yourself. How to choose an inactivity window, count active players and read churn by cohort.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleHow to win back lapsed casino players without wasting bonus budget
A practical guide to casino winback and reactivation: who is worth contacting, which offer to use, when to stay silent, and how to check that the bonus did something the player would not have done alone.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleHow to spot future VIP players in their first week
VIP status is usually confirmed after big spend, which is too late to shape it. What early VIP detection looks at, why it should be a range, how to avoid VIP treatment for players who will not pay back.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleHow to turn a first deposit into a second one
The step from a one-time depositor to a returning player is where a well-timed offer matters most. How to read who is likely to return, when to reach out, what to offer, and how to test it.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleCasino bonus abuse: how to spot it before the payout goes out
Bonus abuse is play whose only purpose is to extract a bonus. The patterns that show it, why review beats automatic blocking, and what a detection tool can and cannot honestly claim.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleWho should not get a casino bonus, and how to tell
One bonus for the whole base is expensive, because part of it goes to players who would deposit anyway. Which players to leave out, how to decide, and how to check what a bonus actually brought.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleHow to measure whether a casino bonus really worked
Deposits after a bonus are not the effect of the bonus. How to separate what a bonus brought from what would have happened anyway, which metric to use, and the mistakes that flatter campaigns.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleHow to run a control group test for casino retention
A step-by-step plan for proving a retention tool or campaign on your own players: three groups, one metric, one month, agreed sizes, and what to do with an honest result that is flat.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleHow to judge an affiliate traffic source before the hold clears
Registrations and first deposits show volume, not value. How to read affiliate quality earlier than the usual two-week hold, which numbers to compare, and what an early verdict can and cannot promise.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleWhat is predicted lifetime value (PLTV) for casino players, and why a range?
PLTV is the modelled value of a player over a horizon. What it is used for, why a single number is a false comfort, and how to use a range to spend the retention budget where it returns.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleGGR or NGR: which revenue number should drive retention decisions?
GGR ignores bonuses and costs, NGR subtracts them. Which one to use when you choose who to contact, how to judge a campaign, and what to watch when a vendor's fee is tied to GGR.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleCasino retention when a player is worth a few dollars
In Tier-3 markets a player may be worth only a few dollars, so tools priced per seat and teams of analysts rarely fit. What a workable retention setup looks like at low ARPU and what to cut.
8 November 2026 · 7 min read
Read the articleSMS, Viber, WhatsApp, email or a call: choosing channels for casino retention
Which channel to use for which player: start with the cheapest that has consent, move up only when it has not worked, reserve calls for players who justify them. A practical channel plan for casino retention teams.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleResponsible gaming and retention: how to score players without contacting the wrong ones
Scoring can include every player, but outreach must exclude self-excluded and flagged players. How to build responsible gaming as a hard gate checked at scoring and at send time, and what to ask a vendor.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleHow to score every call in a casino call centre, not a small sample
Manual review covers a fraction of calls, and a supervisor cannot judge a language they do not speak. How call scoring against your own script works, what it needs, and where a human must stay in charge.
8 November 2026 · 6 min read
Read the articleHow to choose casino retention software: a checklist of questions for vendors
Ten questions to put to any casino retention or CRM vendor in writing: data, integration, forecasts, who sends, pricing, proof on your players, and what happens if you leave. Plus when not to buy at all.
8 November 2026 · 8 min read
Read the articleBuild or buy a churn model for your casino? An honest look
What building a churn and VIP scoring system in-house really involves: data layer, features, validation, delivery to the team, retraining. Where building makes sense, where buying does, and what a pilot should prove.
8 November 2026 · 8 min read
Read the article
Test it on your own players
Open the demo right away, or start a pilot: a month on your players against a control group.