CNBC Daily Open: iPhone drove Apple’s robust earnings — but investors weren’t too enthused

Apple reported a 16% year-on-year jump in its fiscal first-quarter revenue on “staggering” iPhone demand, topping market estimates.

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How Sequoia-backed Ethos reached the public market while rivals fell short

The profitable life-insurance platform was one of the first major tech companies to test the 2026 public markets.

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FanDuel and DraftKings prediction markets could offer Super Bowl parlays, as CME issues self-certification

With the Super Bowl looming, FanDuel and DraftKings prediction markets could potentially be introducing parlays for the event following a self-certification contract with the CFTC.
The CME Group, which partners with the two industry giants, has self-certified a multi-leg football contract with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The actual details, however, aren’t yet known as the filing suggests it’ll list the contract by Thursday, nor have any specifics been shared.
In the self-certification process, this is where a designated contract market that is CFTC-registered submits documents that explain their intentions to list a new contract. In the filing description, it reads as: “Initial Listing of Event Contract Swaps on Pro Hockey Game Point Spreads, Pro Football Championship Combos, Olympic Competitions, and Grammy Awards.”
In the contract specifications, the title is “Event Contracts on Pro Hockey Game Point Spreads and Pro Football Championship Combos.” With the Super Bowl coming up, on Sunday 8 February, it begs the question as to whether this is a focus for the prediction markets.
Does the CME Group work with FanDuel and DraftKings Predictions?
In the case of FanDuel, the derivatives marketplace CME Group is a partner of the events contract platform, with this seemingly being a joint venture. At the time, the CEO of the FanDuel Group, Amy Howe, said: “Partnering with CME Group will unlock our ability to bring even more new and engaging products to FanDuel’s fast-growing customer base.
“We believe there is potentially a wide audience for trading event-based markets and we want to provide a platform that allows our customers to engage in this activity.”
It’s slightly different for DraftKings though, as it said it would connect to multiple exchanges, beginning with the CME Group at launch. Its intentions also include the planned rollout of the recently acquired Railbird Technologies Inc and its wholly owned subsidiary, Railbird Exchange, LLC, but it’s not known when and if it’ll transition to this DCM.
Featured Image: Credit to CTLiotta on Wikimedia Commons, CC01.0 license
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Oxford Casino takes Maine to court over allowing tribes to operate iGaming

The Oxford Casino, based in Maine, has filed a federal lawsuit which challenges “efforts to grant a monopoly on online casino-style gambling (“iGaming”) to four specially selected Indian Tribes.”
This comes after Governor Mills, of the State of Maine, announced her intention to allow the LD 1164 bill, named ‘An Act to Create Economic Opportunity for the Wabanaki Nations’ to become law.
This was announced on January 8, with the bill authorizing Maine’s tribal governments to operate online gambling in the state to support tribal communities and economic development.
“Governor Mills’ support for historic advances in tribal economic development, particularly her decision to allow LD 1164 to become law, marks an economic turning point for the Passamaquoddy people and for all Wabanaki Nations,” said Chief William Nicholas Sr. of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township in the initial news release, alongside other tribal chiefs.
Oxford Casino lawsuit against Maine comes after tribal bill allowed to become law
In the filing, which names the defendant as being the Executive Director of the Maine Gambling Control Unit, the casino – which is one of two brick-and-mortar casinos in Maine – has alleged “the Legislature has blessed a race-based monopoly that will allow Maine Tribes alone to offer iGaming in every square inch of Maine.”
They continue to say promoting iGaming through ‘race-based preferences’ “deals a gut-wrenching blow to Maine businesses like Oxford Casino that have heavily invested in the State and its people.”
Within the lawsuit, they state a study commissioned by The Innovation Group, called the Economic Impacts of iGaming Expansion, which they say shows that “land-based casino revenue drops by 16% on average after iGaming is introduced causing substantial job losses, hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic output, and reduced tax contributions that fund public services.”
They also alleged “creating a race-based monopoly for in-state businesses violates equal protection, flouts constitutional restrictions on economic protectionism, and fails scrutiny under both the United States and Maine Constitutions.”
Oxford Casino has been offering gaming in the state since 2012 and it is one of Maine’s two licensed casinos. BB Development, LLC, does business as Oxford Casino Hotel, which is a Maine corporation and a subsidiary of Churchill Downs Incorporated.
Featured Image: Toohool via WikiCommons / CC0 1.0
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Austrian Supreme Court rules that loot boxes do not constitute gambling

The Austrian Supreme Court has ruled that loot boxes present within video games do not constitute gambling under their gambling laws.
This comes after a player attempted to reclaim nearly €20,000 ($24,000) spent on in-game purchases in a football video game.
The plaintiff spent money in the game on loot boxes between 2017 and 2021, with the purpose of acquiring digital players in order to enhance his virtual team in the game.
The court, however, deemed that loot boxes are separate from the broader game, especially when evaluating if they meet the gambling criteria under section 1, paragraph 1 of the Gambling Act.
During the case, the plaintiff stated that, due to him not having a necessary license, opening loot boxes should be deemed illegal gambling.
“The player can, through their own skills – namely, their chosen tactics and strategy, as well as their dexterity in operating the controller – control the course of the game with a probability suitable for success, thus establishing a rational expectation of winning.” Said the court upon their ruling, which player skill factor was the ultimate in the overall outcome of the game.
Loot boxes are becoming problematic in gaming
The rise of the loot box in video games has seen the sector gravitate towards in-game purchases.
A recent study conducted in Norway found a correlation between children who play a lot of video games and a higher risk of developing gambling problems in later life.
Games that focus on loot boxes and skins could see those aged between 12 and 17 encountering gambling issues into adulthood.
In October, Brazilian lawmakers banned those under the age of 18 from buying loot boxes.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made the decision, and it will come into effect this year, with the first safeguards taking place in March.
“Promotion and marketing of gambling, fixed-odds betting, lotteries, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, narcotics or products prohibited for sale to children and adolescents,” according to Law 15211, which protects children in the digital environment.
Featured Image: Gugerell via WikiCommons / CC0 1.0 Universal
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FBI seeking Michael Lizaso Marasigan for illegal gambling and fraud

The FBI are seeking Michael Lizaso Marasigan in connection with alleged illegal gambling activities and related financial crimes, and have placed him on the most wanted list.
He is wanted for violations of his pretrial release, according to his profile on the FBI website.
Between March 2015 and December 2021, Marasigan and his co-conspirators managed to defraud patrons at the Guam Shrine Club’s Hafa Adai Bingo by claiming that their funds would be used to transport children to the Shriner’s hospital for Children in Hawaii for medical care.

In May of 2025, Michael Lizaso Marasigan was found guilty on charges of Conspiracy to Operate Illegal Gambling Business, Money Laundering Conspiracy, Money Laundering, and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. He is now #wanted by the #FBI for violations of his pretrial release:… pic.twitter.com/H9Jarsivk0
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) January 26, 2026

This fraudulent scheme generated around $34 million across the six years that it operated. Rather than direct the funds to the Shriner’s hospital for children, Marasigan and his conspirators laundered funds, ensuring that nearly $11 million of the proceeds went to the defendant and others.
Marasigan has ties with Guam and the Philippines, while he holds passports for both the USA and the Philippines, which is his country of birth.
A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Michael Marasigan
Marasigan was found guilty of those charges in May 2025, but he was awarded a Stipulation to travel with the court, which enabled him to return to the Philippines for medical reasons.
However, he did not return by the set date and ceased contact with the court in June last year. As such, a federal arrest warrant was issued for the 48-year-old in the United States District Court.
Marasigan is the only one of the conspirators who is on the most wanted list. Former Guam Shrine Club President Alfredo Leon Guerrero was part of the illegal gambling business, along with Minda San Nicolas and Juanita Capulong.
Unlike Marasigan, the trio all pleaded guilty before the trial and also testified as witnesses during the trial process.
Federal prosecutors found that of the $34 million raised between 2015 and 2021, none of it went to the Shriner’s hospital for Children.
Featured Image: FBI
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Billions in tax revenue would be generated by expanding sports betting legalization

Billions of tax revenue would be generated if all 50 states in the US made sports betting legal, a report by the Tax Foundation claims.
If all states established statewide gambling markets, the Tax Foundation estimates that gross gaming revenue (GGR) would increase by $15.6 billion per year.

If all 50 states established legal, open, statewide sports gaming markets, a 10 percent GGR tax would generate an additional $1.6 billion per year in tax revenue.
Read more: https://t.co/Hyj896fF1B
— Tax Foundation (@TaxFoundation) January 22, 2026

This figure is more than double what is being reported right now, and legal sports betting in all states would generate $1.6 billion annually in tax revenue, assuming a 10% GGR tax.
Despite most states legalizing sports wagering in some form, only 30 states allow bettors to utilize online betting platforms.
A Tax Foundation report estimates that legalizing sports betting in all 50 U.S. states could generate $1.6 billion in annual tax revenue, with the biggest gains coming from California, Texas, and Florida.
Should legalization occur in all states, the biggest tax revenue gains would occur in California ($570 million), Texas ($326 million) and Florida ($199 million), which would contribute significantly to the economy.
Could we see sports betting legalized in all states in the future?
Sports betting is still unavailable across 11 US states
Missouri has become the latest state to legalize sports betting, with the first state-regulated sportsbooks going live towards the end of last year.
As of August 2025, 30 U.S. states and Washington, DC allow statewide online sports betting, with tax rates varying widely—from under 7% in some states to over 50% in others—according to the Tax Foundation.
That now leaves 11 states where sports betting is not legal: South Carolina, Hawaii, Georgia, Alabama, Alaska, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Utah and Idaho.
While California and Texas would be the two biggest generators of tax revenue should legalized sports betting be introduced, some of the smaller states would still generate millions.
Hawaii, for example, would generate $11 million per year in tax revenue, despite a small population of adults within the state.
Idaho also has a smaller population of adults compared to other states, yet it would likely generate around $13 million per year in tax revenue.
Even Alaska, with a third of the population confined to rural areas, would be able to generate $6 million in tax revenue, despite the state having no professional sports teams in the state.
Of those 11 states, only Georgia has an active legislature regarding the legalization of sports betting, suggesting there is plenty of work to do to ensure all 50 states could benefit from the extra tax revenue.
Featured image: Grok
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What’s next for Apple stock after big iPhone sales everywhere, even China

A blowout holiday quarter and a strong revenue guide for the current March quarter suggest that Apple’s strong iPhone cycle will continue.

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Apple can’t secure enough chips as iPhone demand surges, memory prices rise

Apple on Thursday said iPhone sales in the March quarter could be even better than the company’s forecast if it could secure enough chips to meet demand.

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Elon Musk’s $20 billion spending plan signals ‘Tesla of yesterday is gone’

Tesla expects to more than double capital spending in 2026 as it invests heavily in robotics and driverless technology.

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