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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iGaming

Defy the Odds partners with BettingStartups to support gaming startups

Published

2 hours ago

April 21, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

defy-the-odds-partners-with-bettingstartups-to-support-gaming-startups

Defy the Odds (DTO) and BettingStartups have announced a strategic partnership aimed at supporting early-stage companies across iGaming and sports betting, with initial joint activity planned around SBC Summit Americas (June 9–11) in Fort Lauderdale.

DTO, which describes itself as a startup launchpad advising early-stage founders in iGaming, sports betting, sportstech and fintech, will work with BettingStartups, which focuses on the early-stage real money gaming ecosystem, to connect startups with investors, operators and established suppliers.

The organisations said the partnership will focus on improving access to three areas they view as critical for founders: community, collaboration and capital. The companies positioned the effort as a way to increase visibility for emerging businesses, support investor-readiness, and expand introductions between startups and industry stakeholders.

Kelly Kehn, Co-Founder of Defy the Odds said of the partnership, “Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens when founders connect, share ideas and push each other forward. That’s what community does. This partnership with BettingStartups is about bringing more startups together and making sure the wider industry pays attention to what they’re building. Because the future of our industry is being shaped by these founders.”

Jesse Learmonth, founder of BettingStartups, adds “We’ve always been about providing high-signal infrastructure for founders to scale. This partnership with DTO doubles down on that mission, linking our audience with a community that actually opens doors. Starting with the Startup Zone at SBC Americas, we’re giving founders a direct, affordable line to the operators and investors who define this industry.”

The post Defy the Odds partners with BettingStartups to support gaming startups appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Adam Prock

Scientific Games wins seven-year Minnesota Lottery systems modernization deal

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Wladimir P.

scientific-games-wins-seven-year-minnesota-lottery-systems-modernization-deal

Momentum cloud platform to replace legacy tech across retail and digital channels, with an option to extend up to three more years.

Scientific Games has secured a new seven-year contract to modernize the Minnesota Lottery’s technology stack, replacing the lottery’s legacy system across its retail and digital networks. The agreement includes an option to renew for up to three additional years.

Under the deal, Scientific Games will deploy its cloud-based Momentum ecosystem, which the company says is designed to support omnichannel sales and performance. The rollout will include a systems conversion and new technology across the Minnesota Lottery’s retailer network.

“We took an innovative approach to selecting technology that would pave the way to the future and responsibly grow our contributions to programs that positively impact the lives of Minnesotans,” said Adam Prock, Executive Director, Minnesota Lottery. “We were seeking modern technology and a solution focused on service and partnership. Scientific Games was aligned with our vision for growth.”

Scientific Games said Momentum is anchored by its central gaming system, SciTrak Scratch games distribution system, gem | Intelligence retailer licensing and management portal, and INFUSE business intelligence platform. The Minnesota rollout also includes SCiQ digital menu boards, WAVE clerk-operated terminals and PlayCentral self-service machines, plus a second-chance digital promotions solution supported by the company’s CRM program.

Scientific Games said its systems technology has been selected by four North American lotteries in the past 18 months: Minnesota Lottery, Ohio Lottery, New Mexico Lottery and Loto-Québec. The Minnesota Lottery said it has generated more than $4 billion for state programs since 1990, including the environment, education, public safety and health and human services, and problem gambling.

The post Scientific Games wins seven-year Minnesota Lottery systems modernization deal appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Adam Prock

Scientific Games Technology to Power the Minnesota Lottery’s Omnichannel Sales

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

scientific-games-technology-to-power-the-minnesota-lottery’s-omnichannel-sales

Company’s Innovative Tech Solution Selected Based on Partnership and Growth

Scientific Games and the Minnesota Lottery are partnering on a major tech modernization initiative through a new seven-year contract focused on growth. The global lottery company’s new technologies will replace the Minnesota Lottery’s legacy system, delivering industry-leading performance and security to its retail and digital networks. The new technology contract may be renewed for up to three additional years.

Scientific Games will power the Minnesota Lottery with a flexible, cloud-based solution through its Momentum ecosystem—an integrated framework of technologies, applications and services designed to work together to optimize sales performance and drive growth.

“We took an innovative approach to selecting technology that would pave the way to the future and responsibly grow our contributions to programs that positively impact the lives of Minnesotans,” said Adam Prock, Executive Director, Minnesota Lottery. “We were seeking modern technology and a solution focused on service and partnership. Scientific Games was aligned with our vision for growth.”

Scientific Games has become the fastest growing lottery systems provider in the world, with the company’s technology selected by four North American lotteries in the past 18 months, including the Minnesota Lottery, Ohio Lottery, New Mexico Lottery and Loto-Québec. Globally, over the last decade, the company has completed 50+ lottery system implementations and conversions, most recently for the New Mexico Lottery, North Dakota Lottery, Lotto New Zealand and The National Lottery in the UK.

“Scientific Games looks forward to serving the Minnesota Lottery with the highest standards of excellence and all the flexibility a cloud-based ecosystem has to offer,” said John Schulz, President of Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. “A systems conversion requires a strong partnership and months of cooperation and collaboration. We will work closely with the Minnesota Lottery’s team to deliver another successful go-live, moving the Lottery into a sustainable future.”

The company’s Momentum ecosystem is anchored by its central gaming system, patented SciTrak Scratch games distribution system, gem | Intelligence retailer licensing and management portal and INFUSE business intelligence platform. Scientific Games’ SCiQ digital menu boards, WAVE clerk-operated terminals and PlayCentral self-service machines—which can open new distribution channels—will be installed across the Minnesota Lottery’s retailer network. Additionally, a second-chance digital promotions solution supported by the company’s award-winning CRM program will be included.

Since 1990, the Minnesota Lottery has generated more than $4 billion for state programs, including the environment, education, public safety and health and human services, and problem gambling.

Serving 150 lotteries in 50 countries, Scientific Games is the world’s largest lottery games company, fastest growing lottery systems provider and a leading provider of digital lottery solutions. The company is one of the first lottery companies globally certified by the World Lottery Association as a Responsible Gaming Supplier.