Santa Surprise

How to play Santa Surprise

GiG is approaching the completion of its acquisition of an 80% stake in 888Africa, marking a significant new chapter for the group. It is an unexpected return to B2C for GiG, but one that group CFO Phil Richards believes can deliver immediate earnings while providing a stronger foothold in Africa.

Last month, GiG Software plc announced plans to acquire an 80% stake in Evoke’s 888Africa, in a deal valued at up to €16.4 million ($19.1 million).

To fund the acquisition, the company intends to raise €2.5 million through a directed share issue and €6 million through convertible debt. The deal marks its return to B2C after becoming a pure play B2B platform play in 2023.

How to play Santa Surprise

Polymarket has developed its media presence elsewhere. In January, it signed a deal with Dow Jones to provide its prediction market data to several of the publisher’s consumer platforms. The deal covers publications including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch and Investor’s Business Daily.

Prediction markets have become more and more intertwined with sports and entertainment businesses. Polymarket has agreements with Major League Baseball and Sportsradar. Sportsradar provides data and services for more than 20 sports leagues and competitions. 

The company has also pursued partnerships outside the normal financial media. Its deals include relationships with major sports organizations and entertainment properties, signaling efforts to integrate prediction markets into mainstream content and information services. 

What is Santa Surprise?

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.