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Trading Blows: Cloudbet’s expert take on the new NBA season

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As the NBA prepares to go back to work, the trading team at Cloudbet, the leading crypto sportsbook and casino, assesses the latest market movers and shakers


The wait is almost over: The NBA is ready to go again, just two months after Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers trounced the Miami Heat in last season’s finals. The victory put an emphatic exclamation mark on the Covid-19 iteration of America’s premier basketball competition, which played out its final months in the league’s Disney World bubble in Florida.

Since then, there have been a flurry of draft and free-agency dealings, along with a few superstars returning to injury, which promise yet another humdinger of a season – all with the spectre of Covid looming in the background.

Cloudbet takes this opportunity to preview the action, with the first games tipping off on December 22. Buckle up, folks!

The West – A Lakers dynasty in the making

Champs get stronger

If last season made just one thing clear, it’s that the Lakers are back for good – and ominously, they’ve had probably the best off-season in the league, making all the right moves to improve in all positions over last year.

First of all, they re-signed Anthony Davis to a five-year, $190 million contract, a move that confirms that nothing less than a repeat this year is acceptable.

Trading Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder, while adding depth to the Center position through free agents Marc Gasol and reigning sixth man Montrezl Harrell has stacked the roster even further. Wesley Matthews taking Danny Green’s spot is the last piece of the puzzle.

They remain the team to beat in 2021 and are deservedly the No.1 title favourites. Cloudbet is offering odds of 2.88/+188 on the Lakers lifting the title and 1.85/-177 to take the Western Conference.

Clippers to contend

The Lakers’ cross-town rivals are looking to reboot their fortunes after their huge summer letdown, giving up a 3-1 series lead in the Western semifinals against the Denver Nuggets.

The Clips have a new head coach in Tyronn Lue and the team has locked in Paul George until 2025 with a contract extension. Meanwhile, the gap at center created by Harrell’s departure has been filled with Serge Ibaka – who has now been reunited with Kawhi Leonard: The two both shared a championship title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

The Clips will be looking for Ibaka’s defensive game to better contain players like Anthony Davis and the Nugget’s Nikola Jokic more effectively, especially in the post-season.

The Clips are currently at 8.18/+718 to take the title and you can get odds of 2.12/+112 that they end the regular season with a greater than 67% win percentage.

A nod to the Nuggets

While the hunt for the six remaining Western Conference playoff spots includes several teams in the mix-up, one looks to stand out from that group.

The Denver Nuggets seem to be a few steps (or years) away from going all the way, with a great young core by way of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Under the guidance of Head Coach Mike Malone, the Nuggets have built on strong foundations and will be a force to be reckoned for the foreseeable future. Denver is 20.9/+1996 to win it all this season.

The East – up for grabs

In the Eastern Conference, things look a bit more fluid.

The Milwaukee Bucks seem to have found a way of killing it during the regular season – and played some great basketball before the March shutdown – but still lack the knack of transforming these home-court advantages into deeper postseason quests for glory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the elite company of only Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon by winning both MVP (his second in a row) and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season last year. The Greek Freak looks hungry as ever to make the leap into the finals.

The most notable move made by the front office saw Jrue Holiday join from the New Orleans Pelicans in the off-season, while the waiting game around Giannis is over – on Wednesday he signed the full five-year, $228 million supermax contract. He’s committed to Milwaukee now for a long time.

Milwaukee’s title odds are currently 6.36/+536.

It was the Miami Heat (23.0/+2201 for the title) that knocked Milwaukee out in the bubble. The Bucks had no answer for the Heat’s physical and tactical approach, led by alpha dogs Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Butler’s unquestionable fighter mentality and work ethic is paired by a unique two-way talent. Bam was dominant in the paint while young sharpshooters Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson set the tone for a balanced offence that sets the bar high for 2021.

This season’s Brooklyn Nets (7.55/+655 for the crown) are perhaps the most intriguing entity in the East. The return of Kevin Durant (10.5/+959 for regular season MVP) and Kyrie Irving (92.9/+9192 for the same) at full strength automatically flips the switch on the Nets to contender status, while Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert should again play integral roles having had their best professional seasons in 2020.

The arrival of Steve Nash as head coach was the story of the off-season. The hiring of the former Suns two-time MVP has been met with some skepticism though, mainly due to his lack of experience in the position. No doubt both fans and pundits will be watching closely.

The Covid elephant in the room

We can’t end any major competition preview without a generous nod of the head to the bogeyman du jour. The NBA’s solution to covid last season – the Disney World bubble – was an enormous undertaking and an undeniable success. Building on that experience, the league now has strict protocols and a slightly rejigged playing schedule in place this season.

Perhaps the biggest change for players, aside from the relative isolation, will be road-trip restrictions and playing matches back-to-back while visiting. It’ll be interesting to see how teams (and betting odds) respond to sudden line-up and venue adjustments if Covid rears its ugly head.

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Crypto.com Receives Limited Financial Institutions Licence in Europe

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Crypto.com has announced another regulatory milestone: its EU MiCA regulated entity has received a Limited Financial Institutions licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). The approval allows the company to continue delivering its full suite of stablecoin services – qualifying as payment services – across the European Union, without disruption.

This additional licence is for the provision of services exclusively in relation to electronic money tokens (EMTs). The licence was acquired to navigate a complex regulatory landscape resulting in overlapping crypto asset services (MiCA) and payment services (PSD2). By securing the Limited Financial Institution Licence, Crypto.com has addressed both regulatory regimes ensuring full compliance across every aspect of its stablecoin operations.

Crypto.com’s Malta entity received MiCA approval in January 2025, allowing the company to passport services across the European Economic Area (EEA). Notably, Crypto.com already holds a full Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence in Europe, making it one of the most comprehensively authorised platforms operating in the region.

“We are one of the most regulated crypto platforms in the world and receiving this licence proves, yet again, that we are committed to working with authorities to ensure the strongest compliance standards. Our stablecoin business and services remain a pivotal part of our European product offering so it was vital we secured this limited licence to continue providing seamless access to our institutional and retail customers,” said Eric Anziani, President and Chief Operating Officer at Crypto.com.

The limited Financial Institutions licence adds to Crypto.com’s expanding list of licences and registrations globally including, but not limited to, a UK Electronic Money Institution licence (FCA), a Major Payment Institution licence in Singapore (MAS), a Virtual Assets Service Provider licence in Dubai (VARA), U.S. Money Transmitter Licences, U.S. Designated Contracts Market (DCM) & Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) licences and recently conditional approval from the U.S. OCC for a National Trust Bank Charter.

The post Crypto.com Receives Limited Financial Institutions Licence in Europe appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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UK To Explore Crypto Gambling Framework

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Legal crypto gambling could be coming to the UK after the country’s regulator announced on Thursday (Feb 26) that it will begin working on new rules to support the sector.

Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller revealed in a speech this week that regulatory officials have concluded allowing licensing operators to transact in crypto is likely a wise move.

Responding to growing demand for gambling with cryptocurrencies, and undeniable evidence that consumers are turning to the black market in search of crypto-friendly operators, Miller said the process was already underway.

Characterising the project as “tentative” and promising no timelines or outcomes, Miller nevertheless said he had instructed the commission’s Industry Forum to begin work on detailing how crypto gambling could be regulated in the UK.

The Forum is composed of industry figures from the online and retail sectors, including representatives from Flutter and Rank Group.

Addressing the Betting and Gaming Council AGM on Thursday, Miller said: “There will be significant challenges and risks to overcome in considering this topic but I am keen that we approach this in the spirit of exploring the art of the possible, rather than starting from a position of finding all the reasons not to innovate.”

Recent work undertaken by the Gambling Commission to try and understand why gamblers choose to leave the regulated market and gamble offshore has identified a desire to bet with crypto as the second-largest motivator.

One UK legal expert told EEGaming that the project was “long overdue”.

“A credible, regulated pathway would be a more effective consumer protection tool than de-facto prohibition if it reduces displacement offshore, which invariably it would,” said Chris Elliot, a partner at Wiggin law firm in London.

Elliot noted that the commission does not appear to be proposing specific “crypto licences”, but is instead “exploring a framework under which UK-licensed operators could accept crypto as a consumer payment option”.

Regulators in partnership

The Commission’s renewed willingness to consider allowing crypto gambling is also being driven by more secure legislative foundations that are set to come into effect in the UK.

Miller pointed to the “Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2025”, which was presented by the government in December.

The new statutory instrument would regulate more uses of crypto-assets by establishing a series of regulatory frameworks.

This comes as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is itself consulting on new rules for crypto in the UK.

This work will form the bedrock of any efforts by the Gambling Commission to loosen crypto gambling rules, Miller said.

It may also provide some clues as to the timeline of any crypto-liberalisation by the commission, Elliot noted.

“If the FCA authorisation regime is phased in over a longer period, mainstream adoption in UK gambling could be correspondingly slow,” he warned.

“That said, existing AML registration requirements for crypto-asset service providers already provide some baseline assurance, which could support earlier experimentation if the commission is serious about tackling black-market growth.”

Fraud on the brain

Regulatory sources who spoke to EEGaming pointed to the role the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) may be playing in accelerating crypto regulation.

The international money laundering watchdog — which has had notable interventions in the gambling market over recent years through its temporary greylisting of Malta and Gibraltar — has told national governments they should be regulating crypto providers, not trying to prohibit their use in the legal economy.

The UK is scheduled to undergo an assessment by the FATF in 2027.

That provides an extra impetus for the UK to have its crypto regulations in order, but allowing digital assets to flow into the economy more readily, especially via gambling, brings added risks.

“Like any new payment method, it will introduce new fraud/AML typologies,” explained Elliot. “But ‘new’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘higher’. In some respects, crypto can support a more robust control environment than fiat payments, particularly where cash is involved,” he noted.

“Operators wishing to drive this agenda will need to be able demonstrate, with evidence, why these risks can be managed through the controls put in place,” he said.

Crypto revolution?

Although the UK Gambling Commission is only at the beginning of this process, Miller’s announcement is sure to have an impact internationally, particularly at some of the European regulators with which it shares close ties.

EEGaming asked the Netherlands Gambling Authority, which signed a new memorandum of understanding with the commission in November, whether it would now be considering a crypto-revolution of its own.

“Although the KSA thinks allowing crypto payments might help battle illegal offering, there are too many complications right now to just go along with it,” a spokesperson said.

“We are looking into this for the future.”

The post UK To Explore Crypto Gambling Framework appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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BetOnline.ag Integrates $SCOR, the Premier Crypto Token of the Pro Sports Industry, Ahead of Super Bowl

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BetOnline.ag, a preeminent global online sportsbook, casino and poker platform, announced a strategic partnership with Sweet to integrate $SCOR as a newly supported cryptocurrency.

$SCOR, the native token powering verified fan identity and rewards across major professional sports, is now available for deposits and withdrawals within the BetOnline cashier, just in time for Super Bowl Sunday on February 8.

This integration establishes a direct utility lane for the $SCOR, allowing fans to use tokens — earned through engagement in officially licensed sports games or purchased on exchanges — for real-world gameplay on a leading gaming platform.

For BetOnline, the partnership represents a strategic entry point into the burgeoning world of on-chain sports fandom, connecting the platform with high-value, verified fan liquidity.

“We are constantly evolving to meet our players where they are, and that now includes the intersection of sports fandom, gaming and blockchain. $SCOR isn’t just another cryptocurrency…it’s the premier token of the sports industry. This partnership allows us to directly engage with a new generation of sports fans who value real-world gameplay, verifiable achievements and interoperable rewards,” said Eddie Robbins III, CEO of BetOnline.ag.

$SCOR functions as the on-chain layer for fan identity, verifiable engagement and portable rewards across Sweet’s network of major professional sports IP partners that boast officially licensed sports-themed web3 PvP and mini games.

By accepting $SCOR, BetOnline gains a direct connection to verified fan activity from SCOR’s ecosystem of major professional sports IP partners, introducing a high-value audience of competitive sports fans and crypto-savvy players.

To celebrate the launch, BetOnline will offer exclusive deposit perks for $SCOR users, including free-play credits and casino spins for qualifying deposits. Future community activations are planned, featuring token-gated private poker and casino tournaments for verified $SCOR holders, with prizes awarded in both $SCOR and cash.

“We built $SCOR to bridge the passion of sports fandom with tangible utility and value. BetOnline’s integration is a landmark moment, turning fan-earned $SCOR into a key for premium gaming experiences. This partnership validates our vision of a reward-first portable fan identity,” Sweet EVP of Global Partnerships Betsy Proctor said.

The post BetOnline.ag Integrates $SCOR, the Premier Crypto Token of the Pro Sports Industry, Ahead of Super Bowl appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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