CME Group owns the markets where the world bets on oil prices, interest rates, corn harvests, and currency movements. Airlines hedge fuel costs here. Banks hedge interest rate risk here. Farmers lock in corn prices here. Every one of them pays CME a fee for the privilege of placing the bet. CME never takes a position — it never wins or loses on the market itself. It just collects the toll from every participant on every trade. When markets are volatile, volume spikes. When volume spikes, CME earns more. The casino always wins.