Magic Eden Bets on a Speculation Supercycle

Magic Eden’s chief executive officer and co-founder, Jack Lu, says the platform is positioning itself for a coming “supercycle” in which finance merges with entertainment, as a wave of interest in prediction markets and betting accelerates. In a post on X, Lu argued that speculation has become mainstream and that Magic Eden is building for this evolving landscape, signaling a strategic pivot toward immersive, real-money gaming experiences.

“Speculation is mainstream now. And Magic Eden is building for this world,” Lu wrote on Monday.

“Prediction markets are all over Emmys and the news. Betting is the second fastest growing industry in the US after AI. Sportsbook sponsorships are all over everyone’s favorite sports broadcasts. Hyper casual games + real-money gaming are converging.”

Data from Dune Analytics shows prediction-market trading volumes reaching a record 814.2 million on Monday, surpassing the prior peak of 701.7 million the week prior.

Kalshi remains a leading name across politics, finance, sport, and entertainment markets, with Polymarket and Opinion also delivering strong performance as the sector accelerates.

Magic Eden to capitalize on speculation

In the same post, Lu confirmed that the company’s forthcoming crypto casino and sportsbook platform, Dicey, will launch this quarter. The platform is designed to incentivize users to host games, place wagers, and socialize within a decentralized ecosystem.

Earlier on Monday, Magic Eden stated that token holders would receive a share of any new initiatives.

A total of 15% of all Magic Eden revenue flow will go back to Magic Eden token holders, the company said.

This revenue will be split equally between ME buybacks and staking rewards, paid out in the USDC stablecoin.

Revenue earned from staking will be based on how much ME is staked and for how long, with USDC rewards claimable monthly starting from March.

NFT industry struggles to bounce back

The announcements come as the NFT market cap fell 68% from 7.95 billion to 2.5 billion in 2025, according to data from CoinGecko.

Organizers of NFT Paris cited the market pullback as a key factor in canceling the event this year.

“Despite drastic cost cuts and months of trying to make it work, we couldn’t pull it off this year.”

Even amid the broader industry headwinds, Lu noted that Magic Eden maintained a healthy marketplace business, reporting roughly 24 million in revenue over the year.

The NFT market began 2026 with renewed momentum, returning to a market cap above 3 billion—a roughly 28% rise in the first 20 days of the year.