Apps and Trends to Watch: How Prediction Markets Are Going Mainstream

Prediction markets are having a moment.

What started as a niche corner of the internet — platforms where users trade on the outcomes of elections, sports matches, or economic events — is quickly becoming part of the broader app ecosystem. But what makes this category compelling isn’t just the trading itself.

It’s the design.

Prediction market apps blend financial mechanics with gamification, social validation, and real-time events. The result? High-intent engagement loops that keep users coming back daily.

In this edition of Apps and Trends to Watch, we explore how category leaders like Kalshi and Polymarket are scaling, how Web3-native newcomer Myriad is innovating, and what it signals when established fintech brands like Robinhood begin integrating event-based contracts.

More importantly, we look at what app builders and marketers can learn from this fast-moving space.

Why Prediction Markets Are an Engagement Blueprint

Prediction markets are built on action.

When users stake value on an outcome, they demonstrate clear intent. That act alone differentiates them from passive scrollers. Then comes the feedback loop: Was I right or wrong?

That binary resolution — win or lose — is inherently habit-forming.

Add to that:

• Event-driven timelines

• Limited contract durations

• Leaderboards and rankings

• Community discussions

You get a product category that encourages daily participation rather than passive browsing.

The lesson extends beyond finance. These platforms show how structured anticipation + clear outcomes + social visibility can drive strong repeat behavior.

Kalshi: Regulation Meets Competitive Energy

Kalshi operates a CFTC-regulated U.S. marketplace for event contracts, positioning itself as a compliant, transparent platform in a space that often feels experimental.

At the time of writing, it ranks among the top Finance apps in the U.S. App Store.

What stands out from an engagement perspective:

• Limited-time leaderboards that showcase profit and trading volume

• Competitive visibility that taps into users’ desire to outperform

• A social feed where users share positions and insights

Trading becomes less solitary and more community-oriented. The regulated structure builds trust, while social mechanics drive competition.

Kalshi proves that compliance and engagement don’t have to be at odds.

Polymarket: Speed, Liquidity, and Daily Reward Loops

Polymarket takes a decentralized approach, leveraging blockchain infrastructure to offer fast-moving markets across politics, crypto, culture, and global events.

Its growth has been notable — even reaching #1 in the iOS “Magazines & Newspapers” category on select dates.

A key driver? Its Daily Rewards system.

By rewarding users for placing competitive orders or maintaining positions, the platform reinforces behaviors that increase liquidity. For users, these incentives translate into tangible value — whether daily cash rewards or yield-style returns.

The brilliance lies in alignment: actions that benefit the platform are the same actions being incentivized.

This creates a self-sustaining engagement loop:
Participation → Reward → Reinforcement → Repeat.

Myriad: Where Content Meets Trading

Myriad approaches prediction markets from a media-first perspective.

Currently web-only, Myriad integrates news, live events, and prediction trading into one continuous experience. Instead of separating information and action, it connects them.

Two features stand out:

• Live trading competitions like “Uptober Top Trader,” which spark bursts of activity

• Task-based reward systems that grant in-app currency for reading articles, completing quizzes, or engaging with content

This approach creates measurable progress loops — ideal for users motivated by gamification and incremental achievement.

Myriad demonstrates how prediction mechanics can be layered into content ecosystems, not just standalone trading apps.

Robinhood: When Fintech Adopts the Model

Perhaps the strongest validation of this category’s momentum is experimentation by Robinhood.

By introducing event-based contracts within its existing ecosystem, Robinhood signals that prediction-style mechanics may become a standard engagement module in mainstream finance apps.

For Robinhood, this move offers:

• Novelty for existing users

• Increased retention

• Event-driven engagement spikes

• Cross-sell opportunities within a familiar interface

Rather than launching a separate product, it embeds the mechanic directly into its core feed — a sign that prediction markets may soon sit alongside stocks, ETFs, and crypto as another asset class within all-in-one financial hubs.

What Developers and Marketers Should Pay Attention To

Prediction markets are not just about trading outcomes.

They are case studies in engagement architecture.

Here’s what they teach:

1. Intent Drives Stickiness

When users stake value — financial or otherwise — engagement deepens.

2. Event Rhythms Build Habit

Time-bound markets create urgency and daily check-ins.

3. Rewards Reinforce Platform-Healthy Behavior

Incentives can align user action with platform liquidity and growth.

4. Social Visibility Increases Motivation

Leaderboards, shared positions, and community commentary amplify competitive energy.

5. Content + Action Is Powerful

Blending information consumption with interactive participation creates richer loops.

For mobile advertisers, these platforms signal environments where users display strong intent signals, predictable usage patterns, and high responsiveness to topical content.

For product teams, they show how finance, gaming, and social features are no longer separate verticals — they’re converging.

The Bigger Trend

Prediction markets illustrate something larger happening in the app ecosystem.

The boundaries between:

• Finance

• Gaming

• Social networking

• News consumption

…are dissolving.

What’s emerging is a new engagement model built on real-world events, structured incentives, and visible performance metrics.

Whether you’re building a fintech app, a media platform, or a lifestyle product, the mechanics pioneered by Kalshi, Polymarket, Myriad, and Robinhood offer a blueprint worth studying.

Prediction markets aren’t just growing.

They’re redefining how engagement can be designed.