I don't understand how CEX.io works.
What don;t you understand?
You buy mining Ghs for BTC and then whilst you own it you get the mining rewards as if you had the hardware at home.
When you are done, you sell it again.
The risk is that the price will vary.
CEX.io have done a good job in making mining power avaliable to the masses, rather than the mess of pre-ordering.