Press Releases
Parimatch: Consumers want stories, not spreadsheets
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.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Have you ever seen a banana and an ostrich fused together to form the ultimate creature? In Nolimit City’s latest release, Bizarre, peek into the window of Dr. Bizarre’s wild experiments. This slot falls under the eccentric category of Nolimit City slots such as Munchies, Outsourced and Ugliest Catch.
Reel Area
The farm has been… busy. Bizarre plays out on a 4-4-4-4-4 layout across 5 reels, with a number of variations of xSplit® that can land as either a single symbol or as a 4-row-high symbol, which may appear partially or fully visible. When it lands it splits all symbols on the same row, doubles its size and acts as a Wild symbol after doing so.
Chimera Spins
Dr. Bizarre’s breakthrough experiments begin here. Landing 3 Scatter Symbols will trigger 3 Chimera Spins where a scatter on the middle of the reel will transform into a Wild that remains sticky throughout the feature.
Before the bonus round begins, the middle reels spin individually. During this spin Wild symbols, extra spin symbols or empty symbols can land. When Wild or extra spin symbols land then it stays on its position and a respin is awarded. This continues until new extra spin or Wild symbols land.
If Wild symbols land then it will remain sticky throughout the feature. If a Wild is split by an xSplit® symbol then it gets a multiplier that also remains sticky for the entire feature.
Super Chimera Spins
Funding groundbreaking monstrosities isn’t cheap. Landing 2 Scatter Symbols and a Super Scatter in the base game will trigger 3 Super Chimera. In addition to Chimera Spins features, all Scatter Symbols will transform into Wild symbols and will remain sticky throughout the Super Chimera Spins.
Coinage
To take his experiments to the next level Dr. Bizarre needs to collect some coins. In Coinage, only coins with the multiplier values and special symbols can land. If any positions are empty after a spin then a respin is awarded. When the feature ends, the sum of all the multiplier values are added before multiplying the base bet. The coin values are: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000.
Special symbols can land during Coinage:
- Collector – Collects the total value of all visible coins and removes them. The used Collector remains on the reel and if another Collector lands it will also collect the value of the previous Collector.
- xSplit® – Splits all coins and Collectors on its row and doubles their values.
- Scatters – When 3 Scatters are collected, it triggers Chimera Spins after the Coinage feature ends. If one of the 3 Scatters is a Super Scatter, it will trigger Super Chimera Spins.
Extra Spin
Extra Spin is back! When Chimera Spins or Super Chimera Spins are triggered, players might get the opportunity to purchase an additional spin at the end of the round. The additional spin will keep the Wild symbol along with its multiplier value of the previous spin. The cost of the spin will be calculated based on the Wild symbol multipliers. If the cost of the Extra Spin is less than or equal to the total win, then the Extra Spin opportunity will be presented.
Nolimit Boosters
The final phase of Dr. Bizarre’s experiments are quite the sight to behold, especially with these Nolimit Boosters:
- xBoost – guaranteed a Scatter symbol on the second reel. The guaranteed Scatter might be a Super Scatter. (3 times more likely to hit Chimera/ Super Chimera Spins).
- Bonus Hunt – 49 times more likely to activate Chimera Spins/Super Chimera Spins. During this mode, only Scatters or empty symbols can land with a maximum of 1 Super Scatter.
The monsters are now Dr. Bizarre’s rise to fame. Bizarre has a maximum payout of 20,000x the base bet. Bizarre is rated as “Extremely Volatile” delivering the thrilling high-stakes gameplay that Nolimit City fans know and love.
Per Lindheimer, Head of Product at Nolimit City, said: “Mixing animals with fruits is something we like to talk about on a daily basis at Nolimit City. Dr. Bizarre is a crazy mofo with ambitions of fame and power. Chimera Spins and Coinage are features we’ve developed specifically for this game and hope that players will enjoy these freaky experiments”
‘Bizarre’ will be available to all Nolimit City partners on November 18th, 2025.
The post Nolimit City breaks into the lab of a mad scientist in its latest release, Bizarre appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
AOGGAB
EGT is an official partner of the prestigious “Gaming Industry Gala Dinner”, organized by AOGGAB
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EGT is proud to announce that it is an official partner of the “Gaming Industry Gala Dinner”, organized by the Association of Organizers of Gambling Games and Activities in Bulgaria (AOGGAB) with the support of EUROMAT. The event will be held on November 25 and for the third consecutive year will bring together leading companies and figures from Bulgaria and abroad.
The motto of the gala dinner will be “Together in Europe” and will focus on European integration, professional collaboration, and a shared vision for a sustainable future of the industry.
Traditionally, the “Golden Spade’s” Awards will also be presented during the event. The prizes honor the greatest innovations and the most significant achievements in the sector over the past 12 months. EGT is among the finalists in the competition and will compete for the accolade in the “Most Successful Bulgarian Company Abroad of the Year” and “Slot Machine of the Year” categories.
EGT received the nomination for “Most Successful Bulgarian Company Abroad of the Year” as it is the biggest gaming equipment manufacturer in Bulgaria with 28 international offices on 5 continents. In 2025, it made a large number of installations and substantially increased its footprint in a number of markets. Currently, EGT’s products are present in over 100 jurisdictions around the world.
The company is also a contender for the “Slot Machine of the Year” award. It was shortlisted because of its latest series of slot cabinets Supreme, including 4 models – S 32-32 UP, S 32-32 ST, S 55 S ST, and S 55 V ST. They immediately received high praise from both operators and players for the perfect combination of attractive design, exceptional convenience provided by their numerous ergonomic features, and compatibility with some of the most popular and beloved games from EGT’s portfolio. Supreme slot cabinets have already been installed in a number of gaming venues globally, where they continue to demonstrate excellent results and remain among customers’ favorites.
The post EGT is an official partner of the prestigious “Gaming Industry Gala Dinner”, organized by AOGGAB appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Coolbet is proud to announce a renewed donation to BetBlocker, a leading responsible gaming charity offering free access-control tools to players worldwide. This marks the second time Coolbet has supported the organisation’s mission to help individuals manage their gambling habits and play responsibly.
Two years ago, Coolbet’s contribution and volunteer efforts enabled BetBlocker to launch its app and website in Spanish, expanding accessibility to millions of users across Latin America and other Spanish-speaking regions. The renewed donation underlines Coolbet’s ongoing commitment to ensuring such vital tools remain free and available to all.
“Responsible gaming has always been a cornerstone of who we are,” said Fjodor Rauten, Responsible Gaming Manager at Coolbet. “We strongly believe that tools like BetBlocker must remain free for anyone who needs them. By supporting BetBlocker again, we’re helping ensure that players everywhere have access to the help they might need, without barriers.”
BetBlocker’s free software allows users to self-restrict access to online gambling sites and apps for periods of their choice. Its unique Scheduler feature enables users to block access during moments of increased vulnerability, such as weekends, holidays, or paydays.
Coolbet’s renewed donation will help BetBlocker continue expanding its reach, maintaining multilingual support, and improving its technology for global users. The partnership aligns closely with Coolbet’s guiding principle: “Stay Cool. Bet Responsibly.”
“Last week, BetBlocker passed a quarter of a million active users in 2025,” said Duncan Garvie, Founder and Trustee of BetBlocker. “That is an astronomical level of uptake. We couldn’t deliver support to so many people, all over the world, without socially conscientious operators like Coolbet. Their ongoing contribution demonstrates genuine commitment to player protection and ensures that essential tools remain accessible to those who need them most.”
Coolbet first partnered with BetBlocker in 2023, contributing financially and through staff-led volunteer translations that made the service available in Spanish. The collaboration has since been recognised as a milestone in responsible gaming accessibility for Spanish-speaking audiences worldwide.
The post Coolbet Reaffirms Commitment to Responsible Gaming with Donation to BetBlocker appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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