BetDEX
The world's first fully licensed prediction market exchange built on the Solana blockchain.
Founding Designer
ROLE
2.5 Years
DURATION
Responsive Web
PLATFORMS
BACKGROUND & PROBLEM
BetDEX aimed to build a prediction markets platform where users could make forecasts on real-world events directly with one another. At the time, this was a young and emerging space, with early platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi beginning to explore what consumer-facing prediction markets could look like.
The product was built on blockchain technology, using Solana to enable fast, transparent, peer-to-peer interactions. While this unlocked new possibilities, it also introduced unfamiliar concepts around trust and usability for a mainstream audience.
FIRST STEPS
The 2022 FIFA World Cup presented a rare opportunity to launch a product during a moment of global attention and peak engagement. With ten months to prepare, the focus was on shipping a simple, resilient public beta that could operate at scale.
Rather than building a full-featured platform, the beta focused on proving three core capabilities:
💰
Handle Customer Wallets and Funds
Safely manage balances and transactions in a live environment.
🎟️
Discover, Make & Track a Prediction
Support a complete end-to-end flow from discovery through to settlement.
👮♀️
Meet Regulatory Compliance
Ensure core flows aligned with early compliance expectations.
WORLD CUP 2022: PUBLIC BETA
Launched two weeks before the 2022 World Cup. The beta was iterated in real time with prospective users via a Discord community which formed following the pre-seed announcement.
The event-first interface took inspiration from trading platforms like FTX, Binance, and Coinbase Pro to align with DeFi-native expectations.
BETA HOME PAGE
DEFI INSPIRED TRADER UI
PLAYER LEADERBOARDS
POST BETA, WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The World Cup beta generated a high volume of insight through Discord feedback, user interviews, social media discussion, bug reports, and behavioural analytics. This was complemented by a competitive review of both exchanges and consumer betting products to understand where BetDEX resonated and where it struggled.
Key learnings:
🪙
Web3 Patterns Blocked Mainstream Adoption
Crypto-native onboarding and wallet flows confused users coming from traditional non-web3 backgrounds.
📉
The Exchange UI Limited Broad Appeal
The buy/sell model and trader interface worked for experienced users but intimidated casual customers.
🛒
Limited Markets Hurt Retention
A narrow set of events and markets reduced reasons for users to return and engage repeatedly.
📣
Promotions Were Needed for Growth
Without incentives, acquisition, activation, and retention were difficult to sustain.
IDENTIFYING FEEDBACK INPUTS
POST-BETA DIRECTION
The World Cup beta made one thing clear: if BetDEX was going to grow, the experience needed to be simpler, more familiar, and easier to get started with.
Roadmap priorities before full launch:
🏦
BetDEX Wallet
Allow customers to hold and manage funds within BetDEX, removing the need for third-party wallets.
🏃
Simplified Account Creation
using familiar web2 patterns such as email/password and SSO to reduce sign-up friction.
🧠
Pro vs Lite Experiences
Pro experience for exchange-savvy users, and a Lite experience offering a simpler, sportsbook-style flow.
⚡
Request a Boost
Introduce a promotional mechanic to boost odds on any market, supporting acquisition and engagement.
WHAT DID WE LAUNCH?
The proposed direction was iterated closely with product and engineering stakeholders to ensure feasibility and alignment. Designs were validated with customers using Maze, allowing us to test assumptions, compare approaches, and refine the experience before moving into final execution.
SSO SIGN UP, ACCOUNT CREATION & MANAGEMENT
SIMPLIFIED EXCHANGE UI
LITE MODE - SPORTSBOOK LIKE EXPERIENCE
REQUEST-A-BOOST EXPLAINER
REQUEST-A-BOOST BETSLIP UI
IMPACTS & OUTCOMES
Though early-stage, BetDEX delivered a functioning decentralised prediction markets platform with real-world usage and measurable results. The World Cup beta attracted 12,000+ early access players, validating demand in a live, high-traffic environment. The platform operated with low fees (~3% on net winnings) compared with traditional sportsbooks and expanded from a limited beta slate to over 20× as many markets year-over-year as the product matured. Built on the Monaco Protocol, BetDEX demonstrated the viability of shared-liquidity, peer-to-peer markets, with key events reaching ~$50k+ in available market liquidity and the underlying protocol processing 8m+ matched trades. Operating across 100+ countries, the product established global reach and laid a foundation for broader adoption and continued growth.
Will Loveland
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
4°C