Latest News
Trading Blows: Cloudbet’s expert take on the rebounding NBA season

Reading Time: 4 minutes
As the NBA goes back to work – and hopes for no more Bubble trouble – the trading team at Cloudbet, the leading crypto sportsbook and casino, breaks down the latest market movers, telling you who’s hot and who’s not in the Disney World Laboratory.
- League leaders reassert their claims over the championship: While they both dropped a game apiece during the scrimmages, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers showed enough to firm up their respective chances to take the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy home.
-
- The long layoff has benefited teams with older or injured star players: For the Lakers, the hiatus allowed Lebron James to give his 35-year-old body a solid rest. The last time he did so, for the All-Star break in February, James then went on a tear to lead his team on a 7-2 run. He certainly bounced back in style during Thursday’s thrilling nightcap win.
- For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo – a clear favourite this season to win his second-straight Most Valuable Player award – was able to rest a sprained knee sustained in a March game against the Lakers.
- Both teams come to the restart refreshed and recharged. The Lakers are favourites to win the 2019-2020 title, with their line moving to 3.31 (~ 9/4; or +231;), from 3.34 (+234) prior to the scrimmage. Strong showings from their second and third-string players, especially in the third scrimmage game with James and Anthony Davis on the bench.
- The Bucks are just behind, at 3.45 (~ 5/2; or +245), from 3.53 (+253). Antetokounmpo clearly shone during the practice matches, with more-than-ample support from fellow starters Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.
- Los Angeles Clippers lose ground in title race: While still third-favourite to win the championship, the Clips have been big drifters in the market since the scrimmages began.
- Among the top units, this team has been most impacted by the Covid bubble restrictions, with two key players (Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley) in quarantine after temporary family-related absences.
- Williams, the Clips’ leader in assists, was pilloried in social media for a much-publicised and ill-advised visit to an Atlanta strip club while on leave.
- Another player, Montrezl Harrel, has yet to return from family leave.
- This means a much diminished squad takes on the Lakers in their restart opener on July 30, and they’re unlikely to be back at full strength until at least the second week of the rebooted competition – that’s tough, given that there are only eight seeding match-ups to play.
- With these travails in mind, bets on the Clips to win it all are currently paying 4.15 (~ 3/1; or +315). Their probability of a championship now stands at 24.1%, roughly a percentage point lower than before the practice scrimmages began.
- Houston Rockets cement their status among the top four title favourites: Even though they ended the pre-Covid season with the league’s 10th-best win-loss record, the Rockets have worked their way in as fourth-favourites to win the title.
. One train of thought has it that they more than others will benefit from the long break: four of their key players, including stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook are 30 or older, and the shorter season will shelter them from the extended wear-and-tear of a normal season.
- Harden worked out like a fiend during the layoff, coming to Disneyworld with a noticeably slimmer physique. Already the league’s top scorer this season, he unsurprisingly led his team’s point production over the three scrimmage matches.
- Westbrook was a question mark after testing positive for Covid in mid-July, but emerged from the NBA’s quarantine protocol in time to play solid minutes in all of his team’s three scrimmages.
- Houston’s odds of a championship this season firmed over the past week to 15.1 (~ 14/1; or +1415) from 15.6 (+1460).
- One setback emerged this week, with starter Eric Gordon injuring his ankle during H-Town’s victory over Boston. No clear movement in prices yet, as the market awaits test results to determine his immediate playing future.
- Toronto Raptors gain ground in title race: The defending champions’ performance this season prior to the league’s suspension (72% win rate) shows that they’re still a force to be reckoned with even after losing star player Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers.
. The Raps won two out of their three scrimmages, which also saw the return of center Marc Gasol, who spent the hiatus rehabbing his dodgy hamstrings and dropping a significant amount of weight.
- Clipper odds for a repeat championship have narrowed from 18 to 16.9 (~ 17/1; or +1591).
- They’ve now displaced the Boston Celtics at fifth in the outright lists to take the title.
- New Orleans firms up its chances for a playoff spot in the West: The Pelicans won its three practice match-ups, including a 21-point drubbing of the Bucks on July 27, all without its star rookie Zion Williamson, who had been in quarantine following a family-related absence from the bubble.
. The big news this week was Williamson resuming practice, an appearance warmly welcomed by teammates: He’s the Pellies’ second-highest scorer and has missed 44 games this season due to knee and ankle injuries.
- His return plus a solid scrimmage showing has improved the prospects for their performance in the West (see below).
- Also increases the interest over the tussle for the final play-off spot in that conference. The Memphis Grizzlies are current favourites to take that spot, paying 1.64 (~ 4/6; or -156), with New Orleans next at 3.81 (~ 11/4; or +281).
- Western Conference outcomes have been reframed, thanks to the above reasons: The Clippers’ personnel issues means they’ve lost the slim edge they previously had over the Lakers as favourites to take the West.
- Team Lebron is now tops with odds of 2.58 (~ 6/4; or +158) over the Clips at 2.66 (~ 13/8; or +166).
- The biggest improvement in fortunes belongs to the Rockets, with a line of 7.28 (~ 6/1; or +628) currently giving them a 13.7% chance of winning the conference, or 2.1 percentage points higher than before scrimmages began.
- The other big move was New Orleans: While they’re still unfancied as conference champs, their line moved from 54.6 into 31.1 (~ 30/1; or +3013).
NBA quarantine protocol:
New NBA protocol implies that players could be tested as often as daily during this resumption. If a player has a confirmed positive test, he must undergo treatment and rest for at least 14 days without exercising. In order to return, the player must pass cardiac exams and also test negative for the coronavirus twice in a 24-hour period.
On July 21, the NBA reported zero cases of the coronavirus following the testing of 346 players, and the league has gone three weeks without a positive result.
Prices are as compiled by Cloudbet and are current as of 4pm HK time on July 30
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Trading Blows: Cloudbet’s expert take on the rebounding NBA season
Latest News
ScatterKings adds sugar-coated spin to Austria with bespoke win2day partnership
ScatterKings has made its debut in Austria, partnering with operator win2day to bring its vibrant, hand-crafted portfolio to one of Europe’s most tightly regulated markets.
Headlining the partnership is Sweet win2day, a mouth-watering title designed exclusively for the operator. Other standout ScatterKings games, including Coins of Cleo, Vikings and Hogs Christmas and Big Bob, have also hit the screens of win2day’s customers, with further releases scheduled to follow.
Win2day is operated by Austrian Lotteries, which was founded more than 50 years ago and holds the only licence to offer online casino gaming in the country. The brand has gained a rich heritage as a trusted name in the market, priding itself on being one of the industry’s most responsible operators.
Through this deal, the new and fiercely passionate provider is redefining what modern slot content looks like for local players.
For ScatterKings, every game stands as a testament to its philosophy – proven mechanics fused with genuine artistic vision. A true labour of love from battle-tested developers, the brand-new studio, years in the making, is channelling its expertise into games crafted with soul.
With a leadership team of seasoned industry veterans spanning years of experience, ScatterKings is primed to accelerate its global growth and continue building games that deliver non-stop thrills.
Steven Cross, CCO at ScatterKings, said: “Our launch with win2day is such a proud moment for us and it’s a partnership built on trust in both our vision and craft.
“Entering such an exclusive market is a powerful endorsement of the quality and personality our content brings. We’re here to deliver premium entertainment to players under the most respected regulatory standards.”
Georg Wawer, Managing Director at win2day, said: “As Austria’s only licensed online gambling operator, it is our responsibility to offer players exclusively high-quality, secure and fully compliant gaming content. With ScatterKings, we welcome a highly innovative partner whose technological excellence and creative strength perfectly match our uncompromising standards.
“The studio’s games are optimised to meet the strictest player protection requirements, ensuring that every title on our platform delivers not only great entertainment but also the highest level of safety and responsibility. Their growing portfolio will be a valuable and exciting addition to win2day.”
The post ScatterKings adds sugar-coated spin to Austria with bespoke win2day partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Latest News
Slotegrator’s 2025: the year in numbers
For Slotegrator, a leading software and business solution provider for online casino and sportsbook operators, 2025 marked a year of restructuring and modernization. The company outlines the key transformations of the past year and the strategy shaping its path through 2026.
Throughout 2025, Slotegrator focused on developing its technological and business solutions for gambling operators worldwide. And those efforts — as well as the team’s substantial growth — have paid off, driving the company to new heights of success.
One indicator of positive performance is an increase in demand. Slotegrator recorded strong growth in demand for its products in multiple regions:
- The Balkans (+168%)
- Africa (+132%)
- Australia and Oceania (+111%)
- Central and Eastern Europe (+76%)
In addition to expanding geographically, Slotegrator grew and developed in several key areas: the size of its client and partner network, the scale of its revenues and market share, and the nature of its leadership.
The company now has nearly 300 clients and over 650 projects worldwide, with 217 new projects launched in 2025 alone. That expansion has translated directly to a rise in revenues; the company’s estimated share of global online gambling GGR reached around 0.8%, driven by an 81% YoY increase in GGR and a 71% rise in Total Bets.
One of this year’s key changes was the appointment of Olga Ivanchik as chief operating officer. With an extensive industry and management background to draw on, she is leading the company’s focus on sustainable scaling, ESG integration, and further strengthening of the internal team.
The company also continued to expand the capabilities of its products. APIgrator, the game aggregator solution, surpassed the threshold of 40,000 online casino games, supported by new strategic partnerships with Octopus Global, Urgent Games, Peter&Sons, Winfinity, Enjoy Gaming, PHOENIX 7, Bellot, InOut Games, and BEON. Another major milestone of 2025 was obtaining a gambling license in Anjouan, enabling Slotegrator to extend its services to a wider range of operators worldwide.
The turnkey online casino platform from Slotegrator also underwent one of the most significant transformations in Slotegrator’s history. More than 1,000 product improvements were implemented in 2025 alone, laying a solid foundation for scalability and advanced analytics.
The platform upgrades covered business intelligence and reporting, limitless scalability, security and authentication, bonus module performance, affiliate integrations, resilient infrastructure, an improved Casino Builder solution, and a significantly reduced time-to-market.
“2025 was a year of major milestones for us. While the global iGaming market continues to evolve at high speed, we not only maintained our strong position but expanded it on multiple levels. This year clearly showed that our strategic direction is right and our foundation is strong,” says Olga Ivanchik, COO at Slotegrator.
Slotegrator enters 2026 with a well-calculated strategy and ambitious plans. The company will continue the large-scale expansion of its team, demonstrate its ESG strategy with a focus on responsible gaming practices and ethical marketing, participate actively in industry events around the globe, conduct new research and media projects, and pursue multiple high-impact product updates. And on top of that, there will be some major announcements at the beginning of the year.
Among the most anticipated developments are a new localization service, a revolutionary tool within the Moneygrator solution, extended AI-powered features, and further transformation of the turnkey platform into a fully integrated ecosystem of high-efficiency services.
For Slotegrator, 2025 was a year of modernization, scale, and trust — and 2026 is set to be the next leap forward.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.
The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.
The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.
Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.
The post Slotegrator’s 2025: the year in numbers appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Latest News
Whale.io Launches $WHALE NFT Collection on Solana: New Pre-Market Phase Ahead of TGE
Whale.io has officially launched the $WHALE NFT collection on Solana, introducing the next phase of the platform’s native token rollout and bringing the community one step closer to the upcoming Token Generation Event (TGE).
The $WHALE NFTs – presented as fully tradable digital cards – represent a new value layer within the Whale ecosystem. Each card holds a fixed amount of $WHALE tokens locked on-chain and backed 1:1, making them redeemable at any time for the underlying tokens. Minting is now live exclusively at mintwhale.io, where users can acquire these asset-backed cards and begin trading immediately on secondary marketplaces such as Magic Eden.
This format transforms $WHALE into a hybrid asset: a collectible card that behaves like a traditional NFT while carrying real, instantly verifiable token value. Cards can be freely transferred, sold, or held, with the assurance that the locked $WHALE can always be unlocked and returned to the Whale.io platform when needed.
Key Benefits of the $WHALE NFT Model
- Liquidation and stronger community – $WHALE NFTs enable holders to convert tokens into tradable crypto assets, supporting liquidity and ongoing ecosystem activity.
- Easier entry for new participants – Anyone can now join the Whale ecosystem by purchasing cards on Magic Eden, bypassing the traditional play-to-earn grind.
- Seamless top-ups – Players with low $WHALE balance can buy additional cards on secondary markets and redeem them instantly for playable tokens to continue enjoying games, battle passes, and rewards.
Because every card is transparently backed by real $WHALE, value remains anchored and fully verifiable on-chain at all times.
Utility Already Live
$WHALE continues to serve as the native currency across Whale Originals titles, including Crock Dentist and Blackjack. Holders use it for gameplay, Battlepass purchases, staking rewards, and exclusive in-platform features – a utility that is available today and will expand significantly after TGE.
Next Steps on the Roadmap
Upcoming features include a Staking mechanism (locking liquid $WHALE into cards) and a dedicated Token Swapping interface for one-click redemption. Whale.io has also reaffirmed its commitment to regular market buybacks followed by permanent token burns to support long-term token health.
Participation Now Open
The $WHALE NFT collection is available for minting exclusively at mintwhale.io. Detailed card tiers, pricing, and redemption instructions are displayed on the site. All on-chain activity remains fully transparent through Whale.io’s established Treasury wallets.
Community members are invited to follow @Whalegames_en on X for real-time mint updates, secondary market insights, and announcements on future roadmap milestones.
About Whale.io
Whale.io is an online casino and sportsbook platform, recognized for its proprietary Whale Originals games and innovative reward systems. With $WHALE at its core, the platform combines provably fair gaming with community-owned economics and transparent tokenomics.
For complete details on the $WHALE NFT collection, users can visit mintwhale.io or whale.io.
Information on the future direction of Whale.io Casino and the Whale Token is available here:
Website: https://mintwhale.io/
Socials: https://linktr.ee/whalesocials_tg
Contact
Whale Spokesperson
Whale.io
The post Whale.io Launches $WHALE NFT Collection on Solana: New Pre-Market Phase Ahead of TGE appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
-
Latest News3 months ago
Announcement: 25th September 2025
-
Latest News6 days agoSCCG Announces Strategic Partnership with Yellow Elephant Studios to Expand Multi-Channel Gaming Content Worldwide
-
Latest News1 month ago
JioBLAST Launches All Stars vs India powered by Campa Energy: A New Era of Creator-Driven Esports Entertainment
-
Latest News3 months ago
The Countdown is On: Less Than 3 Months to Go Until The Games of The Future 2025 Kicks Off in Abu Dhabi
-
eSports1 month ago
CS:GO Betting Gains Momentum in the iGaming Sector
-
Latest News2 weeks ago
THE 2025 PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP STAGE WRAPS UP WITH LAST CHANCE IN SIGHT
-
Latest News3 months ago
Leading The Charge! Euronics Group Joins LEC As Official Electronics Retail Partner
-
Latest News3 months ago
Evolution launches Sneaky Slots — a Bold New Slot Studio


You must be logged in to post a comment Login