Latest News
Man City are the Hottest UCL favourites for Years
The 2023 UEFA Champions League campaign comes to a head on June 10th and you would struggle to find someone willing to stake their house on a Manchester City loss this weekend. With Inter Milan currently 7.03 to win, Manchester City [1.46] are the most dominant favourite in the betting market since way before Cloudbet launched in 2013. The only time in the last decade there was anything approaching this kind of imbalance in the odds in a Champions League final was back in 2015, when Barcelona were 1.66 to beat Juventus at 5.00 and their dominant performance resulted in a convincing 3-1 win.
This year, City are way hotter favourites. 12 successive wins saw them clinch the Premier League for a third year in a row, they just won an FA cup against bitter rivals Man United, and in the Champions League they’ve made light work of their competition. The Citizens annihilated European giants – and reigning champions – Real Madrid in the semi-final, winning 5-1 on aggregate.
However, while their form might tempt some punters to back a Mancunian romp in Istanbul, recent statistics suggest it might be a slightly more cautious and conservative game than most are expecting.
Crypto betting specialists Cloudbet have been taking European soccer bets since 2013, and for this UCL Final have been poring over the stats and crunching the numbers to predict what might happen.
Historically, the pre-match favourite has lifted the trophy eight out of the last 10 years – however – the exceptions to this were both in the last two years, both EPL teams, and, in 2021, Man City itself.
It’s true that these ties were much more closely paired, with Chelsea winning at odds of 3.75 and Real Madrid at 3.50, but It’s got to be remembered that this season opponents Inter are very much cup specialists, running out recent winners of the Coppa Italia against a Fiorentina side whose style of play is not unlike Man City.
Inter Milan will be looking to ensure City cannot play their expansive football on Saturday. As a team, Inter have committed the second highest amount of fouls in the competition so far with 150, and breaking up the play with a few tactical fouls may be one way for Inzaghi’s men to stop City’s free-flowing attack. In three of the last five years no side has managed to break the deadlock in the first half, and City themselves have failed to score in the first half in six of their 12 games this Champions League campaign, so the game could start out an altogether cagier affair than Man City aficionados might expect. Albeit they are playing straight off the back of last weekend’s FA Cup Final in which they scored an opening goal in a tournament record 14 seconds.
In four of the last five Champions League finals, the game has ended with fewer than 2.75 goals being scored and those goals coming from one team only. On only two occasions in the past decade has extra time been needed too – with one of these (Bayern Munich vs Chelsea) heading to a penalty shootout.
Only what happens in the match Saturday will, of course, count but statistics seem to point to a Manchester City win in 90 minutes by one or two goals.
Betting with crypto at Cloudbet allows for speedy, secure wagering, with lower fees and enhanced privacy thanks to blockchain’s decentralized system, and Cloudbet’s sophisticated platform. The UEFA Champions League Final averages around 400m viewers worldwide, fans are spread far and wide across the globe so Cloudbet’s localized offering – in 17 languages, including German, French, Spanish and Japanese – really comes into its own on betting events like this.
asia-pacific
Groove shortlisted for Best Aggregator at SiGMA Asia Awards 2026
Groove has been named a finalist for Best Aggregator 2026 at the SiGMA Asia Awards, with the ceremony scheduled for 2 June 2026 at the SMX Convention Centre Manila during the SiGMA Asia Summit.
The shortlist was announced by Global Gaming Insider, according to the company. Groove said its platform aggregates more than 15,000 games from over 150 providers via a single API.
Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove, said: “This shortlist is external recognition of a truth we already feel internally: Groove is moving at a different pace. Asia is not a single market, it is a collection of distinct regulatory environments, player behaviours, and partnership opportunities”
Campo added: “Our platform is built to respect that complexity, not smooth it over. Being named a finalist for Best Aggregator tells us that our approach; deep integration, localised content strategies, and commercial precision; is resonating with the operators who matter most in this region. We are not just bringing games to Asia. We are bringing a roadmap for sustainable growth.”
Yahale Meltzer, Co-Founder and CEO of Groove, said: “The aggregation space is crowded. Differentiation is everything. This nomination confirms that our vision, transforming aggregation from a commodity into a strategic growth discipline, is taking hold.” He added: “Operators across Asia are no longer asking for just volume or speed. They are asking for structural resilience, data intelligence, and a partner who can execute across fragmented regulatory landscapes with precision. Groove delivers that. To be recognised alongside the best in Asia is a privilege, but the real work continues in Manila and beyond. We are here to win, not just awards, but the trust of the operators who build their businesses on our platform.”
The post Groove shortlisted for Best Aggregator at SiGMA Asia Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
data providers
DATA.BET reports 168% turnover growth from virtual content in Q1 2025–Q1 2026
DATA.BET says turnover from its virtual content grew 168% between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026, with the supplier reporting the product accounted for 39% of total virtual sports turnover and 45% of profits over the period.
The company said the content is developed fully in-house and delivered through automated bot-vs-bot matches that run 24/7 without dependence on real-world fixture schedules. DATA.BET positioned the format as a way to provide continuous events and reduce operational overhead for operators.
Across the same period, DATA.BET reported +299% active users, +129% across clients GGR, +246% events per quarter, and +218% bets placed.
DATA.BET also said the audience profile overlaps with live football bettors, which it believes supports retention during seasonal breaks. The supplier added that the algorithm-driven format “carries no fraud exposure,” supports In-Stream Betting overlays, and provides near-zero latency between broadcast and market updates.
“Over the past year, our bot-vs-bot virtual content has delivered consistent, measurable results across every operator deployment. Building e-Football in-house gives us the flexibility to configure it to what each operator actually needs — whether that is a specific league structure, a particular mix of bot and player content, or a branded competition format,” mentioned Rostyslav Likhtin, Head of Product at DATA.BET.
The post DATA.BET reports 168% turnover growth from virtual content in Q1 2025–Q1 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
content studios
155.io makes fintech debut with Coverd partnership
155.io has signed a partnership with US-based fintech platform Coverd, marking the content studio’s first move into fintech. The deal was announced Thursday 21st May 2026.
Under the agreement, 155.io’s real-world games will be integrated into Coverd’s platform. Coverd said the integration is designed to turn everyday transactions into interactive experiences where users can win the chance to have purchases covered through 155.io gameplay.
Sam Jones, Founder & CEO of 155.io, said: “This partnership gives us the opportunity to bring our content to a completely new audience. We share a philosophy with Coverd around disrupting and modernising industries through more interactive experiences. They understand that younger audiences expect entertainment and engagement across every digital touchpoint, including finance, which is exactly how we think about design.”
Albert Wang, Coverd co-founder, added: “Today’s consumer is actively embracing gamified products across every category, so there’s no reason personal finance should stay in the stone age. We’re excited to work with 155.io to make financial experiences more interactive and give everyone a chance to live big by winning back their purchases. 155.io’s next-gen content fits perfectly with what we’re building at Coverd.”
155.io said the integration will bring its interactive content—built around live-action footage and real-time mechanics—to Coverd users. The studio’s portfolio includes Rush Hour from its CCTV Game
library, alongside Ducks.io and Snow Run.
The post 155.io makes fintech debut with Coverd partnership appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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