Cryptocurrency
Trading Blows: Cloudbet’s expert take on the new NBA season
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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affiliate marketing
ReferOn adds crypto finance layer to automate affiliate payouts
ReferOn has launched a built-in crypto finance layer designed to automate affiliate payouts and centralise crypto payout workflows inside its platform. The company said the feature supports crypto payments through its licensed partners’ payment gateways and is available now.
ReferOn said the layer is intended to replace manual, fragmented finance processes with program funding, real-time visibility into funds, automated crypto payouts, and audit-ready transaction history with exports. The company is positioning the release at affiliate teams that manage high payout volumes and frequent reconciliation work.
The update introduces a dedicated finance page for each affiliate program, including program funding and balance visibility, integrated top-ups with deposit address management, and a transaction journal with filters, detail views, pagination, and CSV export. ReferOn also said the automated payout flow records conversion data (rate and amounts), syncs statuses, and creates transaction records instantly.
On controls, ReferOn said each automated payout requires explicit confirmations and 2FA before being triggered. The company added that the feature is built to support audit and compliance needs through traceable transaction logs and one-click CSV exports.
Vlad Bondarenko, Head of Product at ReferOn, commented: “In all honesty, manual crypto payments are a disaster waiting to happen. When teams are afraid of entering the wrong address, making a double payment, or organising ever-growing spreadsheets, the team environment turns conservative and reactive. Our new crypto finance layer eliminates this confusion by providing managers with a comprehensive, centralised hub that automates the manual via integrated payment partners. This feature isn’t about offering affiliates a fancy new payment method or automating for the sake of it, it’s about freeing you up to run a revamped financial operation.”
The post ReferOn adds crypto finance layer to automate affiliate payouts appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
BC Engine
BC.GAME launches BC Engine, introducing continuous rewards model powered by $BC
Global crypto gaming platform BC.GAME has introduced BC Engine, a new rewards system designed to provide players with ongoing value from their gameplay, without minimum thresholds or tier requirements.
Inspired by crypto staking models, BC Engine transforms the platform’s native token, $BC, from a one-time incentive into a continuous rewards mechanism. Players still earn $BC through wagering as usual, but instead of being distributed as a standalone reward, the token is automatically allocated into BC Engine, where it contributes to ongoing earnings.
Rewards are distributed hourly in BCD, BC.GAME’s USD-pegged token, with each player’s payout determined by their $BC balance at the time of distribution. This structure creates a more consistent and transparent reward model, directly linking player activity to tangible returns.
The system also introduces a more sustainable approach by aligning reward funding with actual gaming performance, reducing reliance on traditional promotional spending.
Importantly, BC Engine is accessible to all players from day one, with no wagering thresholds or tier-based entry requirements, allowing users to begin earning rewards from their very first bet.
Alongside the launch, BC.GAME has rolled out additional enhancements to its rewards ecosystem, including a Welcome Shield protection feature for new users, as well as updated daily, weekly, and monthly reward programs.
The release comes as BC.GAME continues to expand in regulated markets, with an increased focus on compliance, local partnerships, and sustainable growth. The platform has been adapting its offering to meet jurisdictional requirements while strengthening its position across both licensed environments and its global crypto audience.
Kar Kheng Giam, Chief Executive Officer of BC.GAME, said:
“We want rewards to be simpler, more immediate, and more sustainable. Players should see value from the moment they start playing, without needing to reach specific milestones. With BC Engine, $BC becomes a core part of how ongoing rewards are delivered.”
The new features are now live across multiple markets, subject to local regulatory availability.
The post BC.GAME launches BC Engine, introducing continuous rewards model powered by $BC appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Crypto
Paysafe launches Pay with Crypto solution to meet US iGaming market demand
Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a global payments platform, today announced the launch of Pay with Crypto, a new crypto payment method for iGaming operators and daily fantasy sports brands in the U.S. market. Powered by MoonPay, the leader in global crypto payments and stablecoin infrastructure, Pay with Crypto allows iGaming brands’ customers to use their preferred stablecoin or cryptocurrency to effortlessly fund their player accounts, where permitted.
With a reported ~70.4m American adults owning cryptocurrency and with Paysafe’s own research indicating that 83% of U.S. players have appetite for crypto payments, the company has responded to meet this demand with Pay with Crypto. Whether a player wants to fund their iGaming account using USD Coin (USDC), another stablecoin, or any major cryptocurrency, Paysafe’s new payment option for operators’ cashiers enables their crypto deposit to be rapidly converted to U.S. dollars to allow play.
After selecting Pay with Crypto and their preferred stablecoin or cryptocurrency, players simply connect their crypto or custodial wallet to fund the deposit, with the MoonPay Commerce Checkouts technology also supporting transactions via QR code using users’ phones. Once transactions have been verified, Pay with Crypto instantly converts crypto deposits into U.S. dollars to fund the player account.
The flexibility embedded in the Pay with Crypto solution also extends to operators, which can choose to settle payments almost instantly in stablecoins in their business’s crypto wallet, or settle in U.S. dollars or any major fiat currency through MoonPay’s Virtual Accounts powered by Iron.
Operators can upgrade their cashiers with Pay with Crypto through a single, streamlined integration of the Paysafe Gateway, which has been developed specifically for iGaming and leverages the company’s 30 years’ global experience. With the Gateway already boasting frictionless card payments, the Skrill digital wallet, the PaysafeCash eCash solution, a Pay by Bank product, and 30+ local payment methods, the addition of Pay with Crypto sees Paysafe continue to diversify its offering to meet evolving transactional preferences.
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “Galvanized by the growing popularity of stablecoins, cryptocurrency is evolving in the U.S. from an investment asset into a unit of value for payments, and we’re seeing this shift gather pace in the country’s iGaming market. Against this backdrop, we’re delighted to unveil Pay with Crypto, a forward-thinking solution that strongly positions U.S. operators for their customers’ changing transactional preferences – the future of how they pay when they play.”
Ivan Soto-Wright, Founder and CEO of MoonPay, commented: “Crypto rails are making payments faster and more efficient, and our job is to close the gap between this technology and real-world utility. People shouldn’t have to convert their digital assets just to make a purchase – they want to use what they already have. Paysafe brings that experience to more people through trusted, regulated platforms.”
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