Latest News
Football is back: Man City are hot EPL favorites, but look to the Saudi Pro League for betting value
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/17.jpg)
- Cloudbet data analysis identifies surprises in Saudi league title odds
- Saudi Pro League bolstered over summer transfer season by top international talent
August 9, 2023 — Manchester City are the overwhelming favorites to win a fourth straight EPL title, but for value, analysis from leading crypto casino and sportsbook Cloudbet suggests football fans should look further afield – to Saudi Arabia.
Thanks to the influx of top names from the EPL and other European leagues, the Saudi Pro League has emerged as a competitive space for bettors, according to research by Cloudbet traders. The four teams recently bought by the state’s Public Investment Fund are all in with a chance of the title, according to the study, which looked at positive or negative changes from the transfers to team ratings.
Newly promoted Al Ahli have made the most impactful moves, with an expected addition of more than 2.5 goals per game, the most of any team in the league. Allan Saint-Maximin will add the equivalent of 0.65 of a goal per game, supported by strong contributions from fellow transfers Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Franck Kessie, according to Cloudbet.
Even though they’re new to the top division, Cloudbet’s analysis has given Al Ahli Saudi the fourth-highest team rating in the league, belying the squad’s title odds (18.5/+1754). That’s not the only surprise: Cloudbet’s team ratings have current league third-favorites Al Hilal ahead of second favorites Al Nassr FC.
Saudi Pro League Team Rating Changes
Ranking | Team | 2022/23 rating* | 2023/24 rating* | Title odds |
1. | Al Ittihad | 0.20 | 0.0 (top) | 2.87 (+187) |
2. | Al Hilal | 0.35 | 0.10 | 3.81 (+281) |
3. | Al Nassr | 0.00 (top) | 0.15 | 3.63 (+263) |
4. | Al Ahli | 1.10 | 0.30 | 18.5 (+1754) |
5. | Al Ettifaq | 1.20 | 1.65 | 18.5 (+1754) |
Data analysis and odds courtesy of Cloudbet (current as of Aug. 9, 2023)
* Cloudbet’s team rating: The top team’s rank is denoted by 0.0 with the other team scores reflecting their goal per game handicap
“Taking last season’s team ratings as a starting point, we added on to each club the positive impact of this summer’s transfers,” a spokesperson from Cloudbet said. “The team ratings that we’ve devised do cast a different light on what the odds indicate. There’s plenty of value for the savvy bettor to unlock this season.”
Cloudbet’s ratings and odds do agree on the main title contender: Last year’s champion, Al Ittihad from Jeddah. This summer, Al Ittihad added Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho, who are expected to add 1.7 goals per game to a squad that already boasts Abderrazak Hamdallah, the Golden Boot winner in three of the last five years.
“We decided that the addition of Karim Benzema was the single most impactful transfer of the summer,” the Cloudbet spokesperson said. “One thing to be taken into consideration, though, is whether this will destabilize a settled, winning team.”
Title contenders
Last year’s runners up Al Nassr have made good signings in Marcelo Brozovic and Sadio Mane (0.8 goal per game, between the pair), but a lot will depend on whether Cristiano Ronaldo has regained his fitness over the summer. The Portuguese star looked out of shape and decidedly off pace towards the end of last season.
Al Hilal may see an increase in yellow cards as a result of Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic joining, but their midfield can now hold its own against almost any club in world football. Neves, Milinikovic-Savic, and Malcom are worth a 1.4 goal uplift to the team, according to Cloudbet research. With Odion Ighalo bolstering the supply lines up front, the club should run close to last year’s winners.
“We expect to see Saudi Arabia’s famous old rivalry between its two most-storied clubs, Riyadh’s Al Hilal and Jeddah’s Al Ittihad, play out once again,” the Cloudet spokesperson said.
Al Ahli is the fourth team to benefit from the Saudi Public Investment Fund millions. The addition of Mahrez, Saint-Maximin, Firmino, and Kessie plus Edouard Mendy in goal, and Matthias Jaissle as coach, has bolstered their team by close to 3 extra goals.
Looking at the rest of the field – Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq FC may struggle beyond mid table. They were defensively weak last season and now need to face sides with the likes of Benzema, Firmino, Jota, and Saint-Maximin up top.
In fact, odds on the non PIF teams have lengthened versus those teams, so while there’s definitely value in the betting, it does look like a four-way contest.
Latest News
Win tickets to the BLAST Premier Fall Final: GG.BET is running a MEGA BLAST Competition for fans of СS2
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/fvfdgsadgareabvaaa.jpg)
From 26 July, all GG.BET users can get involved in the new MEGA BLAST Competition with a €10,000 prize fund. The winner will receive two tickets to the BLAST Premier Fall Final CS2 tournament, taking place from 27-29 September in Copenhagen. To enter, you need to place bets on Counter-Strike 2 matches.
BLAST Premier Fall is a major series of Counter-Strike 2 tournaments which draws in millions of viewers from all over the world every year. The series consists of three stages: Groups, Showdown, and Finals. The Groups stage sees 16 Tier-1 teams duke it out. Only 6 of these can go on to compete in the final, while the rest will battle it out in the Fall Showdown for two additional spots in the final. BLAST Premier Fall Finals will be the concluding stage of the Fall series, and fans can look forward to electrifying action, heart-stopping twists and turns, and an epic $425,000 prize fund.
From 26 July to 4 August, as the Groups stage rages on, GG.BET will be holding its MEGA BLAST Competition. The winner will get their hands on two tickets to attend every day of the BLAST Premier Fall Finals. As well as these tickets, the bookmaker is also giving away a whopping €10,000 prize fund to the top 40 participants in the MEGA BLAST Competition.
How to take part in the MEGA BLAST Competition:
- Register an account with GG.BET or log in to an existing account.
- Go to the tournament page and press “Participate”.
- Place bets on Counter-Strike 2 matches. Every bet you place will earn you a certain number of points, based on the odds.
- Rack up points, keep an eye on the leaderboard, and wait for your winnings to roll in.
Bet on your favorites and get ready for some unforgettable fun! Head over to GG.BET right now so you don’t miss your chance to enjoy a festival of Counter-Strike action in Copenhagen.
Latest News
MANCHESTER CITY TO MARK GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP WITH SUPER GROUP-OWNED BETWAY AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mcyjksadljoisajdasndkl.jpg)
Manchester City has today announced a new multi-year partnership with leading global online betting and gaming brand, Betway.
As part of the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, and to mark this significant deal, leading figures from Manchester City and Super Group will be on-site for the iconic NYSE bell-ringing ceremony later today. Ferran Soriano, CEO of City Football Group, along with Neal Menashe, Super Group CEO, will ring The Opening Bell at 9:30am EDT.
The agreement will see Betway become the club’s Official Global Betting Partner from the start of the 2024/25 season, as Manchester City joins the brand’s extensive sports sponsorship portfolio which includes teams from across the Premier League, La Liga, NBA and more.
Ferran Soriano, City Football Group CEO, said: “We are pleased to announce Betway as our Official Global Betting Partner today. As a globally recognised brand, Betway has a strong pedigree and history of working with high-profile brands within the sports space and we’re excited to work together throughout the partnership.”
Super Group CEO, Neal Menashe, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to become Manchester City’s Official Global Betting Partner. This agreement cements our place in the top tier of Premier League partners, ensuring that our Betway brand reaches fans in all corners of the globe.”
Throughout the duration of the partnership, Manchester City and Betway will collaborate on a number of activations and exclusive content opportunities, in addition to the brand featuring across digital and in-stadia assets.
Manchester City and Betway will also work together to provide all players, coaches, management and staff in-depth, industry leading training on all relevant codes of conduct relating to betting integrity and responsible gambling. This is in addition to the work Manchester City already does to support players and staff in this area.
The Opening Bell ceremony can be viewed live.
Compliance Updates
Acquiring a Curacao Online Gaming License in 2024: Comprehensive Analysis of Financial & Procedural Aspects with Costs & Timelines Detailed
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/curacaduioapdj.jpg)
The “Acquiring a Curacao Online Gaming License, 2024: Comprehensive Analysis of Financial & Procedural Aspects with Costs & Timelines Detailed” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
This report includes valuable insights into the financial and procedural aspects, including detailed information on costs and timelines associated with acquiring a Curacao license.
In 2023, Curacao introduced the “Landsverordening op de kansspelen” (Ordinance on Games of Chance) to modernize and regulate gambling legislation. Since March 2020, the Gambling Control Board (GCB) has been authorized to regulate offshore gambling games and oversee the issuance of Curacao licenses. As of 2023, there are 16 companies providing legal services for registration and licensing in the territory of Curacao. The license fee, as per GCB regulations, is 36,000 ANG or 19,800 USD, payable upon license issuance.
Research Timeline and Data Relevance
The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage, studying the regulator and Open Data Search, took place in December 2023. The second stage, writing the report and partially updating the data from the first stage, took place from the end of April to the end of May 2024.
Goals and Objectives
- Describe the information about the Curacao license and the issuing regulator.
- Describe the requirements and conditions for obtaining a Curacao license.
- Describe the costs and timelines for obtaining a Curacao license.
- Briefly study the market, find and suggest the following lists:
- Legal companies offering services for company registration and obtaining a Curacao license;
- Communication agents and integrators working with the Curacao license;
- Suppliers and vendors working with the Curacao license;
- Payment systems working with the Curacao license.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Goals and Objectives
2. Research Timeline and Data Relevance
- Document Markup
- Raw and Combined Data
- Terms & Glossary
3. General Information
- The Regulator
- Registration of Operators With Sublicense
- Application for an Online Gaming License
4. Requirements and Conditions for Obtaining a License
License Conditions
- General Prohibitions
- Safe and Secure Environment
- Equipment and Application Software
- Player Registration
- Payment Transactions
- Games
- Terms of Use
- Resolution of Complaints
- Administrative Responsibilities
- Publicly Available Information
- Reports
- Policies and Procedures
- Suspension and Revocation of License
- Additional Conditions
- Supervision
Recommendations or Minimum Requirements for the Business Plan
5. The Cost of the License
6. Decision Term and the Validity of the License
7. Application Method and Forms
8. Contact Information
9. Companies for Registration and Licensing
10. Integration Companies
11. Suppliers and Vendors
12. Payment Systems
13. META
14. Appendix: Terms & Glossary
For more information about this report visit researchandmarkets.com/r/izeo6g
-
Gambling in the USA5 days ago
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – July 15-21
-
Eastern Europe5 days ago
7777 gaming is now available on WINBET Romania
-
Gaming5 days ago
MainStreaming Announces Appointment of Nicola Micali as Chief Customer Officer
-
Industry News5 days ago
Safer Gambling Tools Use Hits Record High in 2023 – New Report from EGBA
-
Australia5 days ago
Australian eSports Star Joins Team Liquid
-
eSports5 days ago
INSPIRED LAUNCHES RE-PLAY ESPORTS™ FEATURING CS:GO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KAIZEN GAMING
-
eSports5 days ago
NODWIN(R) Gaming ropes in Android as title partner for BGMS Season 3; to be powered by Garnier Men
-
Latest News5 days ago
Spinomenal shines again with Super Wild Fruits release