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.
BETBY
BETBY launches fully priced World Cup bracket as part of tournament offering
BETBY, the leading Tier 1 sportsbook provider, has announced the launch of its comprehensive World Cup offering, led by one of the most distinctive advantages currently available to operators: odds on the entire World Cup bracket already available, before the official draw takes place.
Released exactly one month before the opening match, BETBY’s World Cup package gives operators a crucial head start, enabling them to activate campaigns and capture player interest well ahead of kickoff.
The offering also provides operators with an additional marketing tool to drive engagement and maximise player interaction in the lead-up to the tournament.
By providing a fully pre-priced tournament structure across all potential matchups, BETBY allows operators to offer betting markets from the group stage through to the final from day one.
This early availability extends the betting lifecycle significantly, giving players the opportunity to engage with the full tournament narrative in advance and driving sustained activity throughout the build-up to kickoff.
To further enhance engagement during the tournament, BETBY is introducing microbetting for the World Cup, enabling wagers on events occurring within one-minute intervals throughout each match. With at least 90 intervals per game, players can bet on outcomes such as throw-ins, fouls, corners, offsides, goals, and goal kicks.
This real-time, high-frequency betting format transforms the viewing experience into a continuous stream of opportunities, keeping users actively engaged from kickoff to the final whistle while increasing interaction levels, boosting ARPU, and strengthening retention.
Complementing this is BETBY’s eWorld Cup, an esports experience that replicates all tournament matches in a short-format, high-frequency environment.
With matches lasting just a few minutes, the e-sim ensures continuous football action, helping operators fill off-peak gaps and overcome time zone challenges while maintaining consistent user engagement.
The product is fully customizable, allowing operators to tailor visuals, teams, match configurations, and margins to align with their brand and commercial strategy.
BETBY’s World Cup offering is further supported by a dedicated tournament hub, designed to centralize all content, data, and betting opportunities within a single interface.
Users can explore group stages and full bracket progression, access event pages, view promotions and line banners, watch video content, and analyze detailed statistics, creating a more immersive and informed betting experience.
The package includes boosted odds across all World Cup events, daily featured offers, and a wide selection of prebuilt “hot” combos with enhanced pricing, giving operators the flexibility to engage a broad player base, from high-value users to casual bettors.
Operators also benefit from one of the most extensive market coverages in the industry, spanning main markets, outrights, props, and special bets, supported by a trading team ready to accommodate bespoke requests.
By combining early market availability, real-time engagement tools, continuous betting opportunities, and deep trading flexibility, BETBY delivers a complete solution designed to maximize operator performance throughout the World Cup.
“As the biggest sports event worldwide, the World Cup is as much about preparation as it is about execution,” said Chris Nikolopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer at BETBY.
“By being the first B2B sportsbook provider to make the full tournament bracket available ahead of the draw, we’re giving operators a clear advantage: the ability to start engaging players earlier and build momentum well before kickoff.
At the same time, other features like microbetting and our eWorld Cup ensure that engagement stays high throughout every stage of the competition.
We’re delivering a complete content portfolio that allows our partners to maximize both player activity and revenue across the entire World Cup cycle.”
BETBY
BETBY is a leading B2B provider of top-tier sports betting services, renowned for its groundbreaking technology and dedication to excellence. BETBY’s team of industry veterans tap into their knowledge and expertise to deliver a premium, adaptable, and scalable sportsbook platform tailored to meet the varied demands of operators across the globe.
From dynamic in-play betting options to robust risk management tools and ground-breaking AI tools, BETBY is committed to propelling the success of its partners in the rapidly evolving landscape of online sports betting.
For more information visit betby.com
The post BETBY launches fully priced World Cup bracket as part of tournament offering appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Almir Ribeiro
BetMGM Brazil hires veteran journalist to lead government relations
BetMGM Brasil has appointed Fernando Vieira de Mello, a journalist with more than 30 years of experience across media, journalism and entertainment, to strengthen its government relations strategy in the country.
The hire comes as Brazil’s regulated betting market enters a phase of consolidation and maturity.
Vieira de Mello is widely recognised in Brazil’s communications market for his career at Grupo Globo, TV Bandeirantes, Rádio Bandeirantes and TV Cultura, where he held roles as reporter, anchor, journalism director and institutional relations executive.
Most recently, he served as director of institutional relations for São Paulo at Grupo Globo, building dialogue with market segments and regulatory bodies across the Brazilian ecosystem.
“Fernando brings a rare combination of experience in communications, management, institutional relations and a deep understanding of Brazil’s media ecosystem,” said Almir Ribeiro, CEO of BetMGM Brasil.
“His arrival further strengthens our long-term vision for the country.”
Vieira de Mello pointed to the scale of the opportunity ahead.
“Few sectors in Brazil will go through such an intense process of transformation and reputation building over the coming years as online betting.
BetMGM enters this moment with very solid attributes: an operation backed by two global groups of enormous credibility, exclusive focus on regulated markets and a clear long-term vision for Brazil.”
The appointment reflects BetMGM’s broader effort to deepen engagement with strategic stakeholders and advance its governance, responsibility and sustainable market-building agenda in Brazil.
BetMGM Brasil
Launched in January 2025, BetMGM Brasil is a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Grupo Globo. Headquartered in São Paulo, the company was among the first 14 operators to receive definitive authorisation to operate in Brazil’s regulated betting market.
Beyond Brazil, BetMGM offers online gaming and betting platforms in 29 regulated US states and across Europe.
The post BetMGM Brazil hires veteran journalist to lead government relations appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
FanLabel
SCCG Management Partner and Portfolio Company FanLabel Launches FanLabel SongPicks App, Bringing Skill-Based Music Contests to Fans Nationwide
FanLabel also submits comment to the CFTC outlining a responsible framework for music-oriented prediction markets
SCCG Management, a global leader in iGaming advisory, business development, and strategic growth with more than 33 years of experience in the gaming industry, today congratulates its partner and portfolio company FanLabel on the official launch of FanLabel SongPicks, a paid-entry, skill-based music contest app that lets fans use their music knowledge to compete for cash prizes.
SCCG Management is a shareholder in FanLabel and has supported the company’s growth as a strategic partner across business development, market positioning, and industry relationships. The launch of FanLabel SongPicks represents the latest milestone in FanLabel’s expanding music gamification and prediction market entertainment ecosystem, and further validates SCCG’s investment thesis that interactive, data-driven fan engagement represents a significant commercial opportunity across entertainment verticals.
A New Way for Music Fans to Compete
FanLabel SongPicks builds on the company’s FanLabel Classic app, which lets music fans compete in free fantasy-sports-style music challenges. With SongPicks, players put their music knowledge to the test by ranking songs, predicting streaming trends, and competing on leaderboards for real cash prizes. The app currently features two contest modes: Ranker, where fans rank songs from most to least streamed, and Best of Five, where players pick the top-performing song from a group.
FanLabel’s products are powered by real-world music data and backed by direct licensing agreements from major and independent record label groups and rights holders. The company has partnered with Luminate as its official stream and chart-data source and Tuned Global as its metadata infrastructure provider, ensuring contests are built around objective data rather than subjective fan voting.
FanLabel also works with Approvely, another SCCG partner company, to support KYC (Know Your Customer) and identity-verification functions, alongside Plaid for banking services. The Approvely integration reflects SCCG’s broader strategy of connecting its partner ecosystem to create end-to-end solutions for emerging entertainment and gaming verticals.
“Our team is very proud to have FanLabel SongPicks officially out in the world,” said Jeff Sloan, Founder and CEO of FanLabel. “We believe that the SongPicks experience will provide music enthusiasts with a new way to engage in their love of music while at the same time benefiting the industry by driving music discovery, consumption, and an entirely new way to generate monetization.”
FanLabel’s CFTC Engagement Signals Regulatory Leadership
FanLabel recently submitted comments to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) outlining its position that music-related event contracts can create new opportunities for fan engagement, price discovery, and future risk-management tools for rights holders when tied to objective data and designed with appropriate safeguards. The filing was one of the few music-focused submissions in a docket dominated by sports, gaming, crypto, and regulatory comments.
In its comments, FanLabel drew a distinction between music contracts tied to objective, third-party metrics such as streams and chart rankings, and more speculative contracts with outcomes that may be influenced by a small group of insiders. The company argued that responsible music prediction markets should be developed in coordination with rights holders, data vendors, and regulated exchanges.
FanLabel holds five issued U.S. patents, with additional applications pending, covering music gamification and the use of music-based contract formats in prediction markets. Several label groups hold an ownership interest in this intellectual property through their equity in FanLabel.
SCCG’s Strategic View
Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, commented: “FanLabel represents exactly the kind of company we look for in our portfolio: a team that combines deep domain expertise, defensible intellectual property, and a responsible approach to regulation with a genuine understanding of fan behavior. The music prediction market space is at a pivotal moment, and FanLabel’s CFTC engagement, combined with the SongPicks launch, positions them as a category leader. As a shareholder and strategic partner, SCCG is proud to support FanLabel’s growth and to help connect their platform with the broader gaming, entertainment, and prediction market ecosystem.”
The post SCCG Management Partner and Portfolio Company FanLabel Launches FanLabel SongPicks App, Bringing Skill-Based Music Contests to Fans Nationwide appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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