Boo

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CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) and the index provider announced a partnership in July. With the MLB deal in place, the exchange operator will offer derivatives based on the baseball indexes.

“The agreement paves the way for CME Group to list weekly, monthly and quarterly cash-settled futures contracts, pending regulatory review, based on the CME FSPI MLB benchmarks,” according to a statement issued by FutureSports.

Launch dates for the MLB team futures contracts weren’t revealed, but spring training for the 2027 season commences on Friday, Feb. 19, according to the league schedule.

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Playtech revenue increased 10% year-on-year in its H1 to €425.1 million, powered by what the company described as “exceptional growth” for its B2B business in North America.

Revenue from the US and Canada surged 161% year-on-year to €56.9 million.

The company’s adjusted EBITDA also rose 77% to €162.5 million, with B2B accounting for €128.1 million of that total.

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The 888Africa acquisition announcement raises questions about why GiG have opted to return to the B2C sphere. Richards warns against over-analysing the deal as a wholesale return to B2C, insisting that GiG remains a B2B platform and tech business at its core.

Asked why GiG had returned to B2C, Richards explains the decision was threefold.

“First, our own priorities have shifted,” he says. “We have been explicit that we are moving away from a growth-at-all-costs mindset, towards a more disciplined focus on profitability and cash generation, and 888Africa is immediately accretive on both counts.