How Jua Markets works
Jua Markets is a prediction market: you trade on the outcomes of real events, from elections to football. Every price is the crowd's forecast of how likely something is, and every correct share pays $1.
Your first trade in four steps
- Pick a question
Browse the markets, or search for an election, a match or a price you have a view on.
- Choose Yes or No
The price on each button is what one share costs, and the chance the crowd gives that answer.
- Enter an amount
Type how much to spend. You see how many shares you get and what you are paid if you are right, then review and confirm.
- Get paid if you are right
When the result is final, every winning share pays $1 into your balance automatically. You can also sell before then.
Prices are probabilities
Every market is a question with two kinds of share: Yes and No. When the market resolves, each winning share pays $1.00 and each losing share pays nothing.
If Yes trades at 64¢, the crowd puts the chance at 64%. Buy Yes at 64¢ and you make 36¢ a share if it happens; buy No at 36¢ and you make 64¢ a share if it doesn't. The most you can ever lose is what you paid.
Questions with several answers
Some questions have more than two possible answers, such as who will win a tournament or an election. Each possible answer is then its own Yes/No market, with its own price and order book, grouped together on one page.
Only one answer can win, so the Yes prices across the answers add up to roughly 100%. When the result is known, the winning answer's Yes shares pay $1, and so do the No shares of every other answer.
Questions that come round again, like each season of a league, open a new edition before the current one ends. You can move between editions from the event's page.
Placing a trade
On a market's page, choose Buy or Sell, then Yes or No. Enter an amount in dollars to buy, or a number of shares to sell. Before you confirm, you see the average price, how many shares you get, what you could win and the worst price your order can fill at.
A market order fills straight away at the best prices on the order book. If it is big enough to move the price, you are warned first, and any part that cannot fill straight away is not placed. The smallest order is $1.
A limit order names your price and waits on the book until someone matches it. The money for it (or the shares, when you sell) is set aside while it waits. You can cancel it at any time, or set it to expire after an hour, a day or a week.
You can sell shares you hold whenever trading is open, at the best price someone is offering, to take a profit or cut a loss. You don't have to wait for the result.
Yes and No share one order book: buying No at 40¢ is the same offer as selling Yes at 60¢. When a Yes buyer meets a No buyer, their money is pooled into $1 and a new pair of shares is created; when two sellers meet, the pair is retired and the $1 is shared between them. That is why every market always shows a price for both sides.
Deposits and withdrawals
Your balance is held in US dollars, and you can see it in your own currency (₦, KSh, GH₵, Br and more). You deposit and withdraw on the rails you already use, from your wallet:
- Mobile money: M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Orange Money, Wave, Telebirr and others, depending on your country
- Debit and credit cards, and bank transfers
- USDT on Tron (TRC20) or BNB Smart Chain (BEP20)
How much you can move each day depends on how far you have verified your account: up to $500 of deposits and $200 of withdrawals a day once your phone or email is verified, and up to $10,000 each way once your ID is verified.
USDT deposits and withdrawals
USDT is a digital dollar: one USDT is credited as $1. You can send it from Binance or any crypto wallet, on Tron (TRC20) or BNB Smart Chain (BEP20).
To deposit
- In your wallet, go to the USDT section, choose Deposit and pick a network.
- Copy your deposit address, or scan its QR code. It is yours to keep, for that network only.
- Send USDT to it from your exchange or wallet, choosing the same network.
- Your balance is credited once the network confirms the transfer, usually within a minute or two. Deposits under $1 are not credited.
To withdraw
- In the same USDT section, choose Withdraw and pick the network your receiving wallet uses.
- Paste the receiving address and enter the amount; the minimum is $10. The network fee ($2 on Tron, $0.50 on BNB Smart Chain) is added on top and shown before you confirm.
- Most withdrawals are sent within minutes. Large ones (over $100, or over $500 in a day), your first one and those from new accounts are checked by a person first. You can cancel while it waits, and a link to the transaction appears once it is sent.
Always use the same network on both sides. USDT sent on the wrong network, or another token such as USDC, may be lost for good.
Practise in Demo mode
Once you are signed in, use the Live | Demo switch at the top of the site to practise with $10,000 of virtual money. Demo trades use the real markets and their live prices, but never touch real money or the real order books.
You can try USDT deposits and withdrawals in Demo too, with nothing sent on any network. Reset your demo account whenever you want a fresh start, and switch back to Live at any time.
Results and payouts
Every market has written rules and a named resolution source, such as an electoral commission, a football federation or a central bank. You can read them under Rules on the market's page.
When the result is known, staff may pause trading straight away, then propose the outcome according to the rules. A dispute window of 2 hours then opens, and everyone holding shares is notified.
If you traded the market and think the proposal is wrong, choose Dispute while the window is open and explain why, with a source if you can. Each dispute gives staff more time to check, and you are told what they decide.
If nobody disputes it, the result becomes final when the window closes. Every winning share then pays $1 straight into your balance; there is nothing to claim.
If a market is cancelled, for instance because the event was called off, every share, Yes or No, settles at 50¢.
Fees
Every buy pays a platform fee of 5% of what you pay. It is capped at 50% of what the bet can win, so a share bought at 95¢ pays less than the full rate, and it is always shown, fee and total, before you confirm. For a market order the amount you type is the total; a limit order sets the fee aside until it fills and returns anything unused.
There is no fee on sells, settlements or cancelled orders. Other fees apply only when money moves in or out:
- Card deposits: 1.5%
- Mobile money and bank deposits: free
- Mobile money withdrawals: 1% (Wave: 0.5%)
- Bank withdrawals: 0.5%
- USDT deposits: free
- USDT withdrawals: a network fee of $2 on Tron or $0.50 on BNB Smart Chain
Every fee is shown before you confirm.
50% of every fee (2.5% of the bet) goes to the people who brought the trader to Jua Markets: see inviting friends below.
Inviting friends
Share your invite link. Everyone who signs up with it is level 1 in your network, the people they bring are level 2, and theirs are level 3. Each time anyone in those three levels places a buy, 50% of its fee (2.5% of the bet) is shared out: 1.25% of the bet to the level-1 referrer, 0.75% to level 2 and 0.5% to level 3, credited to their balances the moment the bet fills.
Attribution is for life, and commissions are a share of fees already paid, never free credits, so there is nothing to farm: two accounts trading against each other pay the fee and get only part of it back. Staff may switch commissions off for an account that abuses the programme.
Your account and staying in control
Verification and limits
Verify your phone or email to start, then upload a photo of your ID in Settings to raise your daily limits. A member of staff reviews it, and you are notified when it is done.
Take a break
In Settings you can pause buying for 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, 6 months or until a date you choose. You can still sell what you hold, and a break can be extended but not shortened.
Notifications
Choose in Settings which notifications pop up or reach your phone. The ones you switch off are still listed on your notifications page.
Your records
Download your trades, positions and cash statement as CSV files from your portfolio. You can delete your account in Settings once you hold no positions, open orders or cash.
More on Jua Markets
Price alerts
Get a notification when Yes rises or falls to a price you choose. Set one with the Alert button on any market.
Watchlist
Save markets you want to follow with the Watch button, and find them all under Watchlist.
Leaderboard
See the top traders by profit or volume, today, this week, this month or of all time, across Africa or in your country.
Comments
Discuss each market. A badge shows how many shares each commenter holds, so you can see who has money behind their view.
Suggest a market
Is there a question Africa should be trading on? Suggest it, and our team will tell you what they decide.
Questions and answers
Is this real money?
Yes. Your balance is held in US dollars, and you deposit and withdraw through mobile money, cards, bank transfer or USDT.
How do I deposit?
Open your wallet and choose Deposit. Pick a payment method available in your country, enter the amount and follow the prompt; for mobile money, that is a request to approve on your phone. For USDT, you get an address to send to. Your balance updates as soon as the payment is confirmed.
How do I withdraw?
Open your wallet and choose Withdraw. Pick where the money should go, enter the amount and confirm. The amount and any fee leave your balance straight away, and come back if the withdrawal fails.
Which USDT network should I use?
Either works: use the one your exchange or wallet supports. Withdrawals cost $2 on Tron (TRC20) and $0.50 on BNB Smart Chain (BEP20). Whatever you choose, the network you send on must match the address you send to.
I sent USDT but my balance hasn't changed. What now?
Deposits are credited once the network confirms them, usually within a minute or two. Check that you sent USDT, not another token, on the same network as your deposit address, and at least $1. If it still hasn't arrived, contact us with the link to the transaction.
Why is my withdrawal waiting for review?
A person checks withdrawals over $100, anything that takes you past $500 in a day, your first USDT withdrawal and withdrawals from accounts less than a day old. It keeps everyone's money safe. You can cancel it while it waits.
What is Demo mode?
A practice account with $10,000 of virtual money, on the real markets at their live prices. Nothing you do in Demo affects your real balance, and you can reset it whenever you like.
How do I sign in?
With your email address and a password, or with Continue with wallet: connect a crypto wallet such as MetaMask and sign a message in it, which costs nothing and sends no transaction. If you forget the password, use the reset link on the sign-in page.
What does a price of 64¢ mean?
That the crowd currently puts the chance of the event at 64%. A Yes share bought at 64¢ pays $1 if the event happens: you make 36¢ a share if you are right, and lose the 64¢ if you are wrong.
Can I lose more than I put in?
No. The most you can lose on a share is the price you paid for it. There is no borrowing and nothing more to pay later.
Can I sell before the market closes?
Yes. While trading is open you can sell your shares at any time, at the best price someone is offering, to lock in a profit or cut a loss. You don't have to wait for the result.
What is the difference between a market order and a limit order?
A market order buys or sells straight away at the best prices available. A limit order names your price and waits on the book until someone matches it; you can cancel it whenever you like, or let it expire.
Why did only part of my order fill?
A market order takes only what the order book can match straight away, and the rest is not placed. A limit order can fill bit by bit as other traders match it, and the rest keeps waiting at your price.
What happens to my open orders when trading stops?
When a market reaches its end date, its open orders are cancelled and the money or shares set aside for them come back to you. While trading is only paused, your orders stay on the book and you can cancel them.
How do questions with several answers work?
Each possible answer is its own Yes/No market. Only one can win, so their Yes prices add up to roughly 100%. You can buy Yes on the answer you expect, or No on the ones you don't.
Who decides the result, and when am I paid?
Staff propose the result from the market's written rules and resolution source, then a dispute window gives traders time to object. Once the result is final, every winning share pays $1 into your balance automatically.
What happens if a market is cancelled?
Sometimes a question cannot be answered fairly, for example when the event is called off. The market is then cancelled and every share, Yes or No, settles at 50¢.
Can I dispute a result?
Yes, if you traded that market. While the dispute window is open, choose Dispute on the market's page and explain what the proposal gets wrong. Staff review every dispute before the result becomes final.
Are there fees?
Yes: 5% of what you pay on every buy, capped at 50% of what the bet can win, shown before you confirm. Nothing on sells or settlements. Some deposits and withdrawals carry a fee, such as 1.5% on card deposits or the network fee on USDT withdrawals; every fee is shown before you confirm.
Why can't I place an order?
Trading closes when a market reaches its end date, and staff may pause a market while its result is confirmed; your open orders stay and can still be cancelled. Orders are also refused while an account is suspended, and buying is off while you are taking a break.
Who can use Jua Markets?
Anyone aged 18 or over, where prediction markets are allowed. By creating an account you confirm both.
API
Everything the site does is available as JSON over HTTP. Signed-in requests use the same session as the site: the cookie in a browser, or a bearer token. The full reference is the OpenAPI document at /api/openapi.json.
| GET | /api/events?category=&q=&sort=&status=&country=&limit=&offset= | Events with their markets and prices; sort by trending, movers, newest, ending, volume or liquidity |
| GET | /api/events/{slug} | One event and its order books |
| GET | /api/events/{slug}/series?range=1D | Price history for each outcome |
| GET | /api/markets/{id}/book | The YES order book (mirror it for NO) |
| GET | /api/markets/{id}/trades | Recent fills |
| POST | /api/markets/{id}/quote | Preview a market order against the book |
| POST | /api/orders | Place a limit or market order |
| DELETE | /api/orders/{id} | Cancel a resting order |
| GET | /api/portfolio | Your positions, open orders and profit and loss |
| GET | /api/activity | Every trade, as it happens |
| GET | /api/leaderboard?period=week&sort=pnl | Top traders |
| GET | /api/site | Site notices and switches |
| GET | /api/stream?event={id} | Server-sent events: prices, book, trades and results |