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NBA Trading Blows: this week’s betting market movers and shakers from Cloudbet
The theme-park surrounds of the NBA bubble are a most appropriate venue for what has certainly been a roller-coaster ride of a postseason. The conference semifinals have so far seen one of the title favourites – Milwaukee – bundled out unceremoniously, while the Los Angeles teams – the Clippers and the Lakers – are close to moving through.
Yes, there has been no shortage of drama in the NBA bubble, even without the crowd support and the home-court advantages conferred to higher-seeded teams. Arguably, the games have been more dramatic precisely for those reasons. The first round of the playoffs was highlighted by buzzer beaters, phenomenal individual scoring and a temporary halt to protest yet another police shooting in America.
Lebron James, the game’s best-known player, has rediscovered his imperious form, while the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo may have to console himself with the MVP award (for which he’s heavily favored to win), now that he’s been relegated to the sidelines.
With the Eastern and Western Conference finals beckoning, it’s appropriate for us at Cloudbet to take stock of the big market moves over the past week.
Miami heats up
Title odds: 4.88/+388 (from 8/+700 on 4 September)
The Heat are the hot team at the moment after sweeping Indiana in the first round and rolling over the Bucks in five games. Miami cornerstone Jimmy Butler is playing close to his All-Star best, backed by strong performances Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, among others.
This is a line-up that outgunned Indiana and Milwaukee by an average margin of 8 points per match, and includes Duncan Robinson, who is fifth in the league for made 3-pointers this season. They’re now heading to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2014, but Butler is focused on bigger things:
Making the conference finals “means a lot, but that’s not my goal,” the All-Star swingman told reporters after closing out the Bucks series. “We want to win it. We want a championship and I think that’s what we’re focused on.”
Butler, who is currently in the deepest playoff run of his eight-year career, indicated that the Heat haven’t played their best basketball yet: “I don’t think we’ve played a full 48-minute game yet and that’s what’s promising. If we do lock in from start to finish and play the way that we’re capable and the way that we’re supposed to, the game will be a lot easier. But it’s yet to happen and we’ve got to have it happen in the next round.”
An ominous signal for their next opponent, the winner of the Toronto-Boston semifinal.
We the West
Los Angeles Clippers title odds: 2.76/+176 (from 3.14/214)
Los Angeles Lakers title odds:2.96/+196 (from 3.54/254)
While not a massive improvement in their lines, it’s worth just talking about the two LAs because of their star-studded line-ups, and because they’re inching closer to facing each other in the Western Conference finals. Both units are leading all current playoff teams in points per game and field-goal percentage.
The Clippers were efficient in dispatching Dallas in the first round, even through injury and Covid-related personnel issues, and now hold a commanding 3-1 series lead over Denver. Kawhi Leonard is the joint second-highest scorer of all players left in the playoffs (with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis), and the Clippers have averaged more points than any other unit in the postseason.
They’ve been boosted by the return of guard Patrick Beverley from a calf injury, and some solid scoring efforts from their other superstar Paul George. Markets favor the Clippers to end the Nuggets series in Game 5 (1.25/-405).
Meanwhile, after early bubble yips, the Lakers have rediscovered their offense in the playoffs, averaging 114 points per game. That’s a big improvement over the 106 they had in their eight regular season contests in the bubble.
GOAT contender Lebron James has lifted his game, as he has done frequently in his career: He’s currently the playoffs’ assists leader, with 9 dimes per game, and the league’s fourth-highest scorer this month. The Lakers have been boosted by Rajon Rondo, who has taken some of the playmaking burden off James’ shoulders.
The Lakers are 3-1 up against a Houston Rockets team that can also score by the truckload, but are coming off a seven-game series against Oklahoma City. Rocket guard Russell Westbrook has shown some flashes of brilliance, but has been struggling with form and a thigh injury.
The Lakers’ latest victory over the Rockets is James’ 163rd playoff win – the most by any player in NBA history.
“It doesn’t happen without the supporting cast,” James said of his playoff record, after winning Game 3 against Houston. The same is certainly true of winning a championship this year, and based on their recent form, the Lakers are looking good on that front.
We the… North?
Boston title odds: 8.03/+703 (from 7.09/+609)
Toronto title odds: 9.95/+895 (from 13/+1200)
The Celtics replace Milwaukee as favorites to take the Eastern Conference title after sweeping Philadelphia in the first round and winning the first two games over the Toronto Raptors. Since then, Boston’s line has drifted as they dropped three of the last four games to a Raptor unit that continues to defy expectations.
Jayson Tatum has been a stud for the Celtics in the playoffs, leading his team with 27 points per game, with support from Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown. The Raps, however, found a way to contain Walker in Game 6, a double-overtime thriller destined for the pantheon of classic NBA match-ups.
Defending champions Toronto, meanwhile, refuse to go quietly into the night, thanks to gutsy performances from guards Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Vleet. This is a team that had the second-most regular season wins in the league this year, even without Kawhi Leonard, who left for the Clippers after last year’s title run.
The Raps have now leveled the series with the much more talented and fancied Celtics – and are looking to go one step further.
“Winning is all that matters right now,” a determined Lowry said after scoring 33 points in Game 6. “Just go and win, it don’t matter how you get it done, don’t matter who gets to do it.”
Truer words rarely spoken.
Results and odds are current as of 8am UTC on Friday 11 September.
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Anthony Dalla-Giacoma Chief Commercial Officer at Swintt
Swintt adds Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds to SwinttPremium slot line
The five-reel, 50-payline release includes a coin respin feature and four-tier jackpot coins for potential wins up to 6,000x.
Swintt has launched Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds, a new fruit-themed slot in its SwinttPremium lineup, featuring a five-reel setup with 50 paylines and a coin-driven bonus mechanic.
The title combines classic slot symbols including BARs, crowns and red sevens with a coin feature that triggers when six or more coin symbols land during the base game. In the bonus round, players receive three respins on a new reel set populated only by coin symbols, with additional coins resetting the respin counter. Payouts are based on the total value collected when respins end or when the grid fills.
Swintt said regular coin values reach up to 30x the bet, while special jackpot coins can award the MINOR, MAJOR, MAXI and MEGA jackpots. If all 15 reel spaces fill, the game doubles the value of every coin except the two MAXI and MEGA jackpots.
The slot also includes a Mystery Bonus that activates when three gem scatter symbols land on reels 1, 3 and 5. Swintt said the Mystery Bonus can award one of the four jackpots immediately or add enough coin symbols to trigger the coin feature.
Anthony Dalla-Giacoma, Chief Commercial Officer at Swintt, said: “Fruit-themed slots have always been a core part of our SwinttPremium catalogue, and in Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds, we’ve created a fresh twist on the genre that will appeal to retro slot fans and new players alike. Packed with exciting features that can award huge jackpot prizes, the slot offers the perfect mix of nostalgia and modern gameplay, making it a mouthwatering addition to any operator’s line-up.”
The post Swintt adds Fresh Fruits Deluxe Diamonds to SwinttPremium slot line appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Avanti
Movers and Shakers – Attack Of The Clones
“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.
With the Live Casino landscape continuing to evolve in new and technologically exciting ways, Avanti Studios’ Jonas Delin explains how the use of digital clones is helping a traditionally costly vertical remove its adoption barriers and supply a much more scalable experience for operators
As a multi-billion dollar industry, Live Casino has long been one of the most prized product categories in online gambling. Built on a simple proposition of delivering the trust and spectacle of authentic, dealer-dealt games through the small screen, it’s one of the few verticals that can recreate the thrill of a bricks-and-mortar casino experience in an online environment – but until now, offering such engaging entertainment to players has come at a high price point for operators.
With recent advances in AI and MetaHuman technologies, however, this is starting to change. The movement to replicate real dealers using sophisticated digital clones or replace them entirely with real-time avatars and large language models is gathering pace; and while there are certainly arguments to be made for the benefits of both approaches, Avanti sits firmly in the former camp. In this article, I’ll look to explain why and outline the benefits that our unique approach can bring.
The Suspension Of Disbelief
For Avanti, choosing to work with clones rather than avatars was an easy decision. In our opinion, the moment a player perceives something to be artificial or uncanny, the trust relationship that makes Live Casino so valuable in the first place begins to erode. As such, in order for them to become fully invested in your product, all dealers need to be ultra realistic and completely human-looking. AI-built dealers aren’t quite there yet, but, by their very nature, digital clones are.
In our sophisticated motion capture studio, we record the performance and mannerisms of professionally-trained dealers and use this as the basis for our clones. Brought to life using Unreal Engine and the MetaHuman toolset, they’re then streamed directly into games, providing an experience that’s virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Cards are also dealt in real time rather than being simulated, with every outcome being shared and dictated by provably fair RNG.
This second point is particularly key to the structural integrity of the live format itself. Real-time dealing – where multiple players make independent decisions against a shared dealer hand – is something that’s not easily replicated by a pre-rendered character, and this constraint currently puts a meaningful ceiling on what pure AI can deliver. At Avanti, there are no such concerns about our approach, helping us provide an authentic experience that all players can truly participate in.
Lower Costs, More Flexibility
Among those in the pro-AI camp, I’ve seen it posited that one of the biggest advantages of using this technology is that it substantially reduces traditional Live Casino costs for operators. While it’s certainly true having generated dealers eliminates set-up fees, removes the need for fixed-term contracts and reduces ongoing overheads, I’d argue Avanti’s approach is equally capable of delivering these competitive benefits without having to compromise on realism or visual fidelity.
Just like AI providers, we also offer a revenue share-only model; and the fact that we use a motion capture studio to create our clones doesn’t have any bearing on the that price operators pay. As opening one table costs just the same as opening 100, we provide an infinite level of scalability that comes with no studio rental, no staffing and no risk of sick days – and the fact that dealer language can be localised at the flick of a switch makes it easy for operators to enter new markets.
In a country like Brazil where Portuguese localisation will be legally mandated, this obviously provides a significant competitive advantage. Rather than scrambling to recruit Portuguese-speaking dealers at pace, we can simply change both the language and appearance of our existing clones to suit local requirements. We can also give operators the scope to open tables at any limits they require, creating a flexible product that can easily adapt to any market conditions.
With Avanti’s games providing the same benefits as their AI-generated counterparts in terms of software economics and scalability, there’s no doubt in my mind that the use of digital clones will have a big role to play in shaping the future of Live Casino. By removing the adoption barriers for operators and giving players a reliable and authentic experience they can trust, our unique approach offers the best of both worlds, helping make the vertical more accessible for everyone.
The post Movers and Shakers – Attack Of The Clones appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
content distribution
Gaming Corps launches on Casino777.es in Spain
Gaming Corps has launched its casino content with Casino777.es in Spain. The operator is run by Digital Distribution Management Ibérica, S.A. and has been live in the market since 2015.
The rollout includes Instant Blitz, Gaming Corps’ new scratchcard-style title and the first release in its Super Scratch series. The company said the game features a Prize Pot mechanic alongside expanding rows, bonus triggers and multipliers.
Also going live are 3 Pigs of Olympus and Gates of Hellfire. Gaming Corps positions 3 Pigs of Olympus as a franchise entry, while Gates of Hellfire is billed as a high-volatility, grid-based slot.
Casino777.es operates under licences granted by Spain’s Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, and its wider online gaming offer includes sports betting via sister brand Bet777.es.
Graham Greensmith, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Corps, said: “Spain is a market where operators need content that can cut through quickly, not just visually, but in how it plays. Casino777.es has a clear sense of where it wants to go as a brand, and this partnership is a strong reflection of that. We are pleased to be working with a team that is focused on building a high-quality destination for players.”
Alexander Stoeckl, Market Lead at Casino777.es said: “This dual launch reflects the direction we are continuing to take as a brand. Our ambition is to be recognised as a benchmark for online gaming in Spain, and that means building a platform that combines quality, variety and strong entertainment value. Gaming Corps brings a fresh energy to the casino, from the immediate appeal of Instant Blitz through to more immersive styles of play, and we are very pleased to add that mix to our offering.”
The post Gaming Corps launches on Casino777.es in Spain appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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