FAQ
Questions We Get Before a Build Starts
The eight questions that come up in almost every first call about a prediction market platform, answered the way we would answer them on that call.
1What is a prediction market platform?
A prediction market platform lets users trade positions on the outcome of future events. Each outcome trades as a contract priced between one cent and ninety-nine cents, so the price itself reads as an implied probability. Users buy the outcome they expect and sell the one they do not, and when the event resolves the winning positions settle at full value. The core software is a market engine, an order book, a matching engine, a pricing layer, a resolution system and a wallet, which is a fundamentally different build from a sportsbook that sets prices and takes the other side of every trade.
2How long does it take to build a prediction market platform?
A focused launch platform covering one market category, a working order book, wallet, resolution and a trader app typically takes four to six months. A multi-category platform with live sports markets, deeper liquidity tooling, native apps and a wider compliance surface usually runs seven to ten months. Blockchain and oracle layers add time on top of that, and the exact number depends on your market types, data providers and regulatory route, which is what the first two weeks of discovery settle.
3What does it cost to build a prediction market platform?
A launch platform with one market category, order book, wallet and settlement generally starts around $100,000 and runs to roughly $220,000. A full multi-category platform with live in-play sports markets, market-making tooling and native apps typically ranges from $250,000 upward. Licensing, legal counsel, regulatory capital, data feed subscriptions and payment processing costs sit outside the build and vary enormously by jurisdiction. Every number here is an estimate, not a fixed quote.
4What is a CLOB and why does a prediction market need one?
A central limit order book holds every open buy and sell order at each price level and matches compatible orders against each other, usually by price-time priority. It matters because in a prediction market the price is set by what users are willing to pay rather than by an operator, so the book is the mechanism that produces the probability. It also handles partial fills, cancellations and position updates correctly, which is what stops a user's balance and their open positions from drifting apart.
5How do prediction markets resolve and settle outcomes?
Each market is created with explicit resolution rules and a named data source. When the event concludes, the platform pulls the official result from that source, verifies it against the rules, marks the market resolved and settles every open position automatically. Sports markets typically resolve against a sports data provider. Broader event markets resolve against official APIs or administrator review. Decentralized platforms route the same verified outcome through an oracle into a smart contract, which then handles settlement on chain.
6Can you build a decentralized prediction market on blockchain?
Yes. We build smart contracts, wallet connectivity, token functionality, on-chain transactions, on-chain settlement and oracle integration, and we work with networks chosen for your requirements around transaction speed, cost, scalability and ecosystem compatibility. Many operators run a hybrid architecture where high-frequency trading stays off-chain for speed while settlement and asset custody operate on chain, and that choice should follow your regulatory route rather than the other way around.
7How do you solve liquidity on a new prediction market platform?
An empty order book is the single most common reason a new platform stalls, so we build for it directly rather than hoping users arrive at the same time. That means an internal market-making service quoting two-sided prices from a pricing feed, configurable maker rebates and incentive programs that pay users to post resting orders, spread and depth monitoring with alerts, and the option to route unmatched interest to a liquidity partner. For suitable decentralized platforms we can also build liquidity pools and automated liquidity mechanisms.
8Do you build sports prediction markets and event markets in one platform?
Yes, and most operators eventually want both. We build separate categories, navigation, market pages, trading interfaces and analytics while keeping one unified account, wallet and portfolio system underneath, so a user's balance and positions live in one place regardless of which market they trade. The engine stays shared. What changes per category is market creation, the data source behind it and the resolution rules attached to each market.
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