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Parimatch CPO: ‘We want to become a Netflix in the gambling world.’

Published

4 years ago

January 26, 2021

Parimatch CPO: ‘We want to become a Netflix in the gambling world.’

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Parimatch is building a technological entertainment platform that’s changing the face of the betting industry. The company’s goal is to move away from the classic idea of the bookmaker and become a gaming and entertainment platform. The company made its first move in the fall when it presented the new game Footboss. Parimatch CPO Sergey Berezhnoy explains how a simple session-based game is about to change the way we think of betting forever.

Footboss: the concept

The ultimate aim of Footboss is to free ten major football stadiums from the grip of invading giants. The game’s key character is the coach, whose daily task it is to train his players to take winning penalties and practice unconventional tactics.

At first glance, the game seems simple, but with every new session, players discover new ways of enhancing their skills along with their chances of winning. Randomly distributed rewards and tasks give the journey unexpected twists—always expect the unexpected: different objects, different quests, and different heroes. And then there’s the added interest of loot boxes: a kind of “kinder-surprise for adults.”

By playing Footboss every day for just five minutes, you can upgrade the skills of your football team, learn about the vulnerabilities of your giant rivals, notch up victories, and win real prizes — Samsung Galaxy Note 10, iPhone 11 Pro Max, MacBook Air 13″, Sony PS4, iPad Air 10.5″, to name but a few.

How Footboss Refreshes the Betting World

Footboss was proposed as an exciting alternative way to promote Euro 2020. Apart from focusing on high odds, bonuses, and competitive margins, we decided to give players a variety and new emotions.

Gamification and betting is not an entirely new approach. Even the official APL app has a built-in fantasy league that mixes reality and the virtual world.

We went one step further and came up with something similar games don’t do—we intertwined the game world with the real world of football. We wanted players to have fun creating their own football story.

Thanks to Footboss, players have been returning to Parimatch not only because they want to place bets or check out the odds but also to take a break, win a match or two and get a prize in the process. The game is session-based for a reason: players don’t get stuck playing it. After a couple of boss fights, it’s easy to get straight back to whatever you were doing.

Footboss as a non-trivial bonus for players

Footboss isn’t about money; it’s more about emotions and brand loyalty. The game is entirely free. To get started, all you need is an account with Parimatch. For the gameplay, we chose the “free to play” model: the more you play, the more you progress for free. In this model, the player’s status isn’t essential—what matters is the desire to play.

We wanted Footboss players to experience new emotions when interacting with the platform. On top of emotions, we integrated loot-box mechanics to add gifts that included prizes ranging from game equipment to iPhones and MacBooks.

Immersion in the game world and a new betting experience

Footboss is a refreshing experience that combines relaxed gameplay with a love of football. Together with their team, players create footballing history as they trek through the stadiums of Europe. Although the game is pure fiction, it is saturated with football: the top player on the team is Terminalaldo, a character very similar to the real Cristiano.

We presented the unique game’s fantasy world as part of the advertising campaign being prepared for Euro 2020. The transfer of playable characters to the semi-real cinematic world increased engagement a lot more because the gaming concept proved viable despite the cancellation of the championship.

In this story, betting is more of a bonus than a necessity. The coach offers to do additional tasks such as place a bet on Esports, football, hockey, or basketball. Involvement like this helps players to progress through the game faster and get in-game items, but they don’t have to.

Reaching the competitive audience segment

Footboss got into the segment of the audience that is driven by a desire to win: players immediately competed for the number-one rating. We noticed the race in the rankings and decided to give motivated players more opportunities to prove themselves through in-game quests.

Game launch results

Over 100,000 players participated in the first version of the game, where they fought over 1,000,000 battles and completed more than 350,000 quests. For the 36 days of the promotion, players opened 405,834 loot boxes containing hundreds of real prizes from Parimatch.

Despite Footboss being session-based and designed for five minutes of gameplay, some players scored 10 hours of game playing and completed the game four times.

We consider the launch a success because we’ve given players new experiences, expanded the platform’s capabilities, and identified growth points for interaction between games and betting.

Entertainment platforms are the future

In the first test run, we only tried out ten percent of the game mechanics from our arsenal. So far, we’ve built a conditional “stadium” where new battles will unfold: new seasons and championships, quests, stories, characters, and content. We will also integrate other sports and gambling.

We are planning to add new mechanics such as PVP so that players can compete against each other. The PVP format will enhance the engagement and the variety of gameplay through fight emotions, new team lineups, item sets, and tactics. We are also thinking about integrating actual events from the world of sport connected with betting promotions.

COVID-19 has affected the whole world and has become a powerful impetus for betting to move forward. Parimatch is moving beyond the classic competition model—we’re already building a gambling entertainment products. Thanks to the game integrations, we are changing the perception of betting and giving players new emotions.

Parimatch is continuing along the path of innovation in the betting field and is already introducing exciting new approaches to gambling.

Related Topics:Footboss Parimatch Parimatch CPO Sergey Berezhnoy

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Industry News

MiFinity to Showcase Innovative iFrame at SiGMA 2024

Published

3 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

MiFinity, a leading global payment services provider, is excited to announce its participation at SiGMA 2024, held in Malta from 12 to 14 November. Visitors can find MiFinity at Stand 2012, where the team will be showcasing its award winning PayAnyBank service, and the latest version of the MiFinity iFrame and demonstrating how it helps iGaming operators acquire and retain players with a seamless, flexible payment experience.

Paul Kavanagh, CEO of MiFinity, commented: “SiGMA is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our latest developments and engage directly with the iGaming community. The MiFinity iFrame is a game-changer for operators looking to streamline their payment processes and enhance the player experience. We look forward to demonstrating its capabilities and connecting with both existing and prospective partners.”

MiFinity’s Business Development and Account Management teams will be on-site to discuss the new iFrame features in-depth and highlight how MiFinity can optimise payments for iGaming operators. They will also be showcasing MiFinity’s innovative suite of payment solutions developed specifically for the iGaming sector, including MiFinity PayAnyBank — a powerful tool that enables operators to send payouts directly to players’ bank accounts in multiple countries and currencies, enhancing the user experience with faster, more localised transactions and reduced FX fees.

The MiFinity Affiliates team will also be available to explain the benefits of MiFinity’s affiliate program, which offers some of the highest commissions in the industry and unique promotional opportunities via the MiFinity Bonus website.

Meet the MiFinity team at Stand 2012 at SiGMA 2024 to learn more about the company’s solutions and how they are transforming the iGaming payment landscape. Pre-book a meeting with the MiFinity team or drop by the stand during the event to explore how MiFinity can support your business.

Book a meeting here > outlook.office365.com/book/[email protected]/

Latest News

ECA and AGEM applaud creation of Association Assembly at ICE Barcelona

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2024

George Miller

ECA and AGEM applaud creation of Association Assembly at ICE Barcelona

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The news that January’s ICE Barcelona will include a major new feature dedicated to global gaming’s most influential trade associations has been welcomed by organisations in Europe and abroad.

Making full use of the additional space at the Gran Via Fira de Barcelona, the first ICE Association Assembly has been created to enable trade bodies to promote their values and create new opportunities for the gaming community across every sector and geography, including both the Brussels-based European Casino Association (ECA) and the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM), the global trade association for gaming equipment suppliers with its primary headquarters in Las Vegas.

Erwin Van Lambaart, Chair of the ECA confirmed: “Our members are already planning their week in Barcelona and they will be at this historic edition of ICE in great numbers. ICE is a pivotal event for the global gaming community and having a show floor feature which will enable us to engage directly with all sectors is a unique opportunity.

“Traditionally, our association’s involvement at ICE and its Conference program has primarily centred around networking and product development orientation—connecting with our members, regulators, suppliers, and fellow trade bodies. However, ICE 2025 marks a significant milestone. For the first time, the ECA will have the chance to fully interface with the global industry supply chain in its entirety. We are looking forward to this unique opportunity to articulate our vision for the future to a diverse and comprehensive audience, where innovation, responsibility and significant partnerships for guest and customer centricity will have centre stage.”

Daron Dorsey, CEO of AGEM added: “We represent the interests of our gaming suppliers whose well-known brands are global in reach, so to be given the opportunity to explain our agenda and engage with what is a truly international audience of association colleagues on the ICE show floor is invaluable.”

January’s editions of ICE and iGB Affiliate will occupy 120,000sqm of space compared to the 100,00sqm at ICE 2024. In a major endorsement of the opportunities offered by the relocation to Barcelona 72% of the 25 biggest exhibitors will have an increased stand presence at ICE 2025.

Industry Awards

Blask Wins Prestigious “Startup of the Year” at 2024 Starlet Awards

Published

10 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Blask, the pioneering AI-powered analytics ecosystem for iGaming, has been named “Startup of the Year” at the prestigious 2024 Starlet Awards. The company earned this recognition for developing a groundbreaking market intelligence platform that has redefined how gaming operators leverage data and market insights.

Award Recognition

The award confirms Blask’s revolutionary approach to market analytics and its significant impact on how iGaming companies access and utilise market intelligence. Powered by AI models including Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing, Blask analyses billions of data points across 2000+ active brands to provide unprecedented market insights.

The Starlet Awards recognition follows Blask’s recent SiGMA Asia Startup Pitch 2024 Award victory. “Winning these awards affirms our belief that innovation and bold ideas can reshape the iGaming landscape. The recognition underscores the impact of our cutting-edge AI technology and our relentless pursuit to transform data into actionable insights”, reflects Max Tesla, CEO and Co-founder of Blask

Blask provides operators with a strategic edge across multiple critical areas. Its real-time market analysis capabilities deliver instant access to crucial market metrics, while the high-granularity data available at one-hour intervals enables swift, informed decision-making. The sophisticated AI modelling system estimates GGR and FTD by analysing a comprehensive range of inputs, including historical data, third-party OSINT data, market performance, competitor metrics, historical brand performance, market reports, and public company disclosures.

Beyond analytics, Blask offers robust brand monitoring and competitor analysis tools, alongside strategic and tactical planning capabilities particularly valuable for market entry decisions and maximising performance during major events. The recently introduced customer profile feature harnesses AI to generate detailed, country-specific user profiles, adding another layer of strategic insight for operators.