I’ve been going back and forth on this whole retargeting versus lookalikes thing in gambling ppc, and honestly, I’m still not sure there’s a perfect answer. But the more I test, the more I notice little patterns that keep repeating. Thought I’d drop what I’ve seen so far, in case it helps someone else who’s stuck deciding which one deserves more budget.
This all started because I kept wondering if I was wasting money by splitting traffic between the two. I’d see some weeks where retargeting would look amazing, then the next week the same audience would just cool off and my lookalike sets would suddenly carry the whole campaign. It made me think I was either overcomplicating things or missing something really obvious. The annoying part is that most people online talk about these strategies in very polished, expert-like language, without sharing the messy parts that actually matter in day-to-day testing.
My first big doubt was whether retargeting in gambling ppc still had the same power it used to. I remember when even a small warm audience would convert like magic. But lately, with stricter ad policies and users jumping between apps constantly, I noticed retargeting works only if the audience is fresh. If someone visited a landing page three weeks ago, they’re basically cold again. And yet I kept my retargeting windows too wide for way too long.
Meanwhile, lookalikes are a different beast. I used to be skeptical about them because gambling traffic is already super mixed and unpredictable. I always felt like giving an algorithm too much freedom would bring in too many low-quality users. But after running a few tests with cleaner seed lists—like depositors instead of general sign-ups—the lookalikes actually surprised me. They didn’t give me sky-high conversion out of the gate, but they filled the top of the funnel with people who were at least somewhat responsive.
One thing that stood out for me is how different the “learning curve” is between the two. Retargeting hits hard and fast, but only for short bursts. Lookalikes take their time, but once they stabilize, they stay consistent for weeks. At one point I even paused retargeting completely just to let the lookalikes run without interference, and weirdly, my CPMs dropped a bit and my CVR evened out.
Another thing I did differently was watching the behaviour of each group. Retargeting users tend to convert quickly or never. They either already like your offer or they don’t. But lookalike users seem to need more touches. They browse more pages, click around a bit, and then convert later in the day. Once I realized that, I stopped judging them too quickly. I also noticed that lookalikes work better when I narrow the ad angles—like focusing on bonuses or fast gameplay instead of trying to be everything at once.
A soft thing I picked up is not treating these two audiences as if they’re fighting for the same slot. They’re not replacements for each other. They’re more like different gears in the same machine. Retargeting is the “capture what you already earned” gear, while lookalikes are the “let’s find some new faces” gear. When I framed it like that, I stopped worrying about which one was “better” and started thinking more about when each one makes sense.
If I had to give a casual suggestion, I’d say this: don’t judge either of them too quickly, and definitely don’t copy someone else’s time windows or audience sizes. Gambling traffic changes depending on region, season, and even the mood of the week. What helped me most was building small tests instead of giant ones. Like running a three-day retargeting window versus a seven-day one, or trying a 1 percent lookalike next to a 3 percent. Those little tweaks gave me clearer signals than big strategy changes ever did.
And if you want a more structured explanation of the differences between the two, there’s this helpful breakdown I found while trying to make sense of my own tests. It compares both options without trying to oversell either side:
retargeting vs lookalike comparison in gambling ads.
Overall, I’m starting to feel like the question shouldn’t be “Which converts better?” but “Which one fits the mood of your traffic right now?” Retargeting wins when your recent traffic is hot and active. Lookalikes win when you need new blood and your funnel feels empty. I used to rush to crown one as the winner, but now I just rotate them based on the week instead of picking one permanently.
Anyway, that’s been my experience so far. Still learning as I go, but at least now it feels a bit less confusing than before. Hope this helps if you’re trying to figure out which one deserves more love in your gambling ppc setup.
This all started because I kept wondering if I was wasting money by splitting traffic between the two. I’d see some weeks where retargeting would look amazing, then the next week the same audience would just cool off and my lookalike sets would suddenly carry the whole campaign. It made me think I was either overcomplicating things or missing something really obvious. The annoying part is that most people online talk about these strategies in very polished, expert-like language, without sharing the messy parts that actually matter in day-to-day testing.
My first big doubt was whether retargeting in gambling ppc still had the same power it used to. I remember when even a small warm audience would convert like magic. But lately, with stricter ad policies and users jumping between apps constantly, I noticed retargeting works only if the audience is fresh. If someone visited a landing page three weeks ago, they’re basically cold again. And yet I kept my retargeting windows too wide for way too long.
Meanwhile, lookalikes are a different beast. I used to be skeptical about them because gambling traffic is already super mixed and unpredictable. I always felt like giving an algorithm too much freedom would bring in too many low-quality users. But after running a few tests with cleaner seed lists—like depositors instead of general sign-ups—the lookalikes actually surprised me. They didn’t give me sky-high conversion out of the gate, but they filled the top of the funnel with people who were at least somewhat responsive.
One thing that stood out for me is how different the “learning curve” is between the two. Retargeting hits hard and fast, but only for short bursts. Lookalikes take their time, but once they stabilize, they stay consistent for weeks. At one point I even paused retargeting completely just to let the lookalikes run without interference, and weirdly, my CPMs dropped a bit and my CVR evened out.
Another thing I did differently was watching the behaviour of each group. Retargeting users tend to convert quickly or never. They either already like your offer or they don’t. But lookalike users seem to need more touches. They browse more pages, click around a bit, and then convert later in the day. Once I realized that, I stopped judging them too quickly. I also noticed that lookalikes work better when I narrow the ad angles—like focusing on bonuses or fast gameplay instead of trying to be everything at once.
A soft thing I picked up is not treating these two audiences as if they’re fighting for the same slot. They’re not replacements for each other. They’re more like different gears in the same machine. Retargeting is the “capture what you already earned” gear, while lookalikes are the “let’s find some new faces” gear. When I framed it like that, I stopped worrying about which one was “better” and started thinking more about when each one makes sense.
If I had to give a casual suggestion, I’d say this: don’t judge either of them too quickly, and definitely don’t copy someone else’s time windows or audience sizes. Gambling traffic changes depending on region, season, and even the mood of the week. What helped me most was building small tests instead of giant ones. Like running a three-day retargeting window versus a seven-day one, or trying a 1 percent lookalike next to a 3 percent. Those little tweaks gave me clearer signals than big strategy changes ever did.
And if you want a more structured explanation of the differences between the two, there’s this helpful breakdown I found while trying to make sense of my own tests. It compares both options without trying to oversell either side:
retargeting vs lookalike comparison in gambling ads.
Overall, I’m starting to feel like the question shouldn’t be “Which converts better?” but “Which one fits the mood of your traffic right now?” Retargeting wins when your recent traffic is hot and active. Lookalikes win when you need new blood and your funnel feels empty. I used to rush to crown one as the winner, but now I just rotate them based on the week instead of picking one permanently.
Anyway, that’s been my experience so far. Still learning as I go, but at least now it feels a bit less confusing than before. Hope this helps if you’re trying to figure out which one deserves more love in your gambling ppc setup.