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UK’s CMA Accepts Spreadex Proposal to Divest Sporting Index B2C Business

By  |  October 5, 2025

Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has agreed to accept Spreadex’s proposal to divest the consumer-facing business of Sporting Index, according to Reuters. The move follows months of scrutiny over competition issues arising from Spreadex’s acquisition of the unit.

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    Per Reuters, the CMA had previously warned that the 2023 purchase of Sporting Index’s business-to-consumer (B2C) division could create a monopoly in the UK’s licensed online sports spread betting market. The regulator said the merger risked reducing competition in a niche but significant sector of online betting, which allows users to bet on variable outcomes rather than fixed odds.

    In documents released Friday, the CMA confirmed that it had reached a final agreement with Spreadex, Spreadex.com Limited, and Sporting Index. The watchdog stated that it accepted the undertakings offered by the parties to address its concerns. Similar divestiture orders have been imposed in previous cases, including a 2022 directive that forced JD Sports to sell Footasylum after similar antitrust concerns, according to Reuters.

    Both Spreadex and Sporting Index provide UK-based customers with online fixed-odds and spread-betting services. Sports spread betting differs from traditional betting by allowing participants to wager on multiple aspects of an event rather than a simple win-or-lose outcome.

    Read more: UK’s CMA Says SpreadEx-Sporting Index Merger Would Eliminate Market Competition

    Despite the CMA’s acceptance of the proposal, the case may not be fully closed. In March, the regulator had reopened its investigation after Spreadex successfully appealed a previous order to sell the business in November 2024.

    “Spreadex strongly disagrees with this entirely disproportionate decision and are reviewing all available options,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

    The CMA’s decision underscores the regulator’s continued focus on preventing what it describes as a “significant lessening of competition” in UK markets.

    Source: Reuters