Press Releases

Parimatch: Consumers want stories, not spreadsheets

Published

6 years ago

March 9, 2020

Sergey Berezhnoy, Parimatch¹s Chief Product Officer.

Parimatch’s Chief Product Officer Sergey Berezhnoy spoke at ICE London 2020 about how the operator plans to evolve the traditional sports betting experience with a focus not just on technology, but on storytelling. With a history in the video gaming industry, Sergey can see many narrative-building concepts that would translate nicely to the betting sector, although he believes the main overlap – esports – still has a few mountains to climb.

Following a strong 12 months in its home markets, Parimatch attended ICE London 2020 with a clear vision in mind for the future of its sports betting offer.

The international operator has grown its market share with bold marketing campaigns and a strong product backed by great tech, but the main focus for Parimatch’s Chief Product Officer Sergey Berezhnoy over the next year is to research, develop and evolve sports betting’s current customer journey. Many of the innovations at ICE provide the backbone of that journey, providing several payment methods, hundreds of ways to bet, and thousands of events and markets to bet on, with other exciting developments such as VR and AI further bolstering to the industry’s toolbox in recent years. For players, the customer journey is smoother than ever before, but for Sergey, that’s not enough. His background is in the video gaming industry, and he believes that to tap into the widest possible market, the sports betting sector has to develop a story around the act of betting that is as engaging and rewarding as current popular mobile games.

“I use one word, and it’s narrative,” said Sergey. “I joined this sector from the video gaming industry, and there the focus is not on waiting for the end result, but providing as much entertainment as possible on the way to it.

Unfortunately, sports betting is currently the opposite; you come, you bet, you leave. There is no story, no great focus on the clubs involved, and often there are very few relevant events to bet on. Players who are engaged with the betting culture might bet on anything, but new and casual players need a story to bring them in. Look at Snapchat, Instagram and Tik Tok, they only show short stories, but it’s enough to get consumers engaged.”

In fact, the immediacy of sports betting is something else Sergey wants to move forward. While the rise of in-play betting has helped, many results can take between a few hours or a few days to come through depending when bets are placed, so Berezhnoy intends to make sports betting on Parimatch something players can jump into and be rewarded whenever they choose.

“In betting, the distance between betting and reward can be very high, whereas in video games the award is more achievable. We are trying to shorten that distance, but not as short as casino games,” he said. “In our research, we have taken a lot from casual gaming. If you are riding the subway or tube, everybody plays casual games or goes on social media. The big question is, why don’t they bet? It’s about a customer journey, but many sports betting sites still look like excel spreadsheets. Instagram has changed the way we consume photos, it’s our ambition to change the way people bet on sports.”

Berezhnoy added that this will involve asking players human-centric questions on pre-selected content, providing a personal touch to short, targeted stories for players to bet through. Like in video games, they won’t be faced with a thousand choices, but with a few highly engaging ones based around content they already enjoy, whether that be through live, fantasy or virtual sports – or even esports. This is another aspect of gaming that Berezhnoy has a lot of experience in, however he still believes there’s a few challenges ahead before the rapidly rising pastime becomes a key vertical for the sports betting sectors.

“Games publishers are in control of esports and they are not interested in the regulations that are needed to elevate the level of trust required for bookmakers,” he explained. “Publishers want more players, and tighter regulations can put up barriers to that. With a few exceptions, they also don’t give access to their data feed, which makes it very difficult to trade. Sports betting operators are interested in the most popular games with the biggest events, but those publishers don’t need to include sports betting into their model to be successful, and these are major roadblocks for its expansion in the industry.”

Sergey hopes that this will change over the next decade, but in the meantime, he is looking forward to weaving the storytelling ability of video games into all of Parimatch’s sports betting offers.

“At the end of the day, most of us prefer to be told stories than to scour over spreadsheets, and that’s what I want to offer to our players,” he concluded.

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SPOTLIGHT SPORTS GROUP RELEASES WORLD CUP 2026 BETTING OUTLOOK AS INDUSTRY PREPARES FOR SURGE IN FIRST TIME BETTORS

Published

31 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

New research reveals high intent to bet, major entry of first time bettors and rising demand for personalised, trusted content ahead of the biggest World Cup in history.

Spotlight has released its World Cup 2026 Betting Outlook, presenting new insights into how fans will watch, bet and engage across the expanded 48 team, 39 day tournament.

Key findings show major shifts in fan betting behaviour:

66% of planned bettors will be betting on the World Cup for the first time
In the US this rises sharply to 90%, signalling significant entry of new bettors into the market
70% plan to place a bet, but only 7% feel confident doing so
44% say late night and early morning kick off times, particularly for UK fans, will push them toward more pre match betting
96% want personalised betting content tailored to their interests
Social media is the least trusted source of betting insight

The research also highlights strong enthusiasm for the expanded tournament format itself, with 93% feeling positive about the 48 team structure and 86% planning to stay engaged throughout the full 39 day schedule.

Mark Langdon, Group Sports Director at Spotlight Sports Group, said: “The data shows that the 2026 World Cup will bring a huge wave of new and inexperienced bettors into the market. Operators that deliver simple onboarding, strong pre-match insight and personalised content will be best positioned to capture and engage this audience.”

The findings will be discussed in detail during Spotlight Sports Group’s SBC webinar Engaging Audiences During the 2026 World Cup on Thursday 4 December at 2pm GMT.

About the research

The survey gathered responses from 600 sports fans across the UK, US and LATAM.

The post SPOTLIGHT SPORTS GROUP RELEASES WORLD CUP 2026 BETTING OUTLOOK AS INDUSTRY PREPARES FOR SURGE IN FIRST TIME BETTORS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Anton Ivannikov CPO at Playson

Playson debuts dynamic new feature in Tornado Power: Hold and Win

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December 4, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Tornado Feature and dynamic Thunder Bonus Feature enrich both Main Game and Bonus play

Playson, the accomplished digital entertainment supplier, has unleashed a whirlwind of excitement with Tornado Power: Hold and Win, introducing a new Tornado Feature and enhanced payouts.

The 3×4, 10 payline slot features immersive visuals with old-school charm, as the untamed gameplay is further enhanced by a new Tornado Feature, which can be randomly triggered whenever a Thunder Bonus Symbol lands during the Main Game or Bonus Game.

Once active, multipliers of up to an impressive 20x may activate as well as Bonus Symbols to increase the likelihood of triggering the Thunder Bonus Feature or Hold and Win Bonus Game.

When both a Bonus Symbol and Thunder Bonus Symbol lands on the reels, the Thunder Bonus Feature comes into action. The feature collects the values of all Bonus Symbols in play, including four in-game Jackpot Symbols, before adding them to the winnings for the spin in the Main Game or Total Win in the Bonus Game.

Landing at least one Bonus Symbol on each reel grants access to the Hold and Win Bonus Game, where players benefit from only Bonus and Thunder Bonus symbols for the entirety of the round. In a striking twist to bonus play, up to four Thunder Bonus Collect symbols can land on the centre reel, further amplifying the win potential on offer.

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This latest release demonstrates Playson’s ability for developing unique mechanics that enhance player engagement based on data-driven insights.

Anton Ivannikov, CPO at Playson, said: “Tornado Power: Hold and Win showcases our commitment to elevating the Hold and Win experience with engagement-boosting mechanics that genuinely move the needle. The new Tornado Feature introduces a fresh layer of dynamism to gameplay, giving players more ways to interact with bonus elements and enjoy heightened win potential.

“It’s a strong reflection of our data-led approach to development, and we’re confident it will resonate across a variety of markets.”

The post Playson debuts dynamic new feature in Tornado Power: Hold and Win appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Anja Ortmanns Account Manager at Push Gaming

Push Gaming strengthens Dutch market presence with Starcasino.nl partnership

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2025

George Miller

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B2B gaming supplier Push Gaming has broadened its profile in the Netherlands through a new commercial deal with prominent operator Starcasino, increasing access to its award-winning content within the regulated market.

Now live, the partnership makes Push Gaming’s full portfolio available on www.starcasino.nl, giving players access to popular titles across Push Originals, Push Action, and Reel Hot Games. These include hits such as Razor Returns, Goat Getter, and Wild Swarm 2.

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The agreement marks the latest milestone in Push Gaming’s ongoing expansion, as the supplier continues to grow its operations with trusted partners and proven content strategies.

Anja Ortmanns, Account Manager at Push Gaming, said: “The Netherlands remains a key market in our European strategy, and we’re pleased to be expanding our presence there with Starcasino in the Netherlands.

“It’s a trusted name with a strong local following, and this partnership enables us to reach even more Dutch players through a platform that shares our commitment to quality content and regulation growth.”

Pieter Van den Bos, Director at Starcasino.nl, said: “Push Gaming’s reputation precedes it, and we’re excited to bring its acclaimed content to our players in the Netherlands.

“Our mission is to provide the best possible experience, and this partnership is another step towards achieving that. We look forward to a fruitful relationship together.”

The post Push Gaming strengthens Dutch market presence with Starcasino.nl partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.