The Gamification of Trading

By Christopher Lewis

Reviewer DailyForex.com Team

Fact-checker DailyForex.com Team

Created on May 18, 2025

The gamification of trading is a rapidly expanding and dangerous development. While in the past, it has taken the form of demo trading competitions, most recently it can be seen in the surge in retail prop trading, where traders pay for an evaluation to receive a funded demo account with the opportunity to earn real cash. Proponents argue that games increase engagement and education, fostering creativity while curing boredom, but this mindset has no place in trading or finance. In reality, gamification fosters unhealthy trading patterns, increases risks, and can cause short-term market disruptions that may lead to counter-productive regulatory changes and higher trading fees.

Core Gamification Elements

Gamified traders, platforms, and apps use the term “winning” when a trader makes money from a trade, while genuine traders understand the difference between winning and earning.

Here are the core elements of the gamification of trading:

The gamification relies on inexperienced traders chasing immediate returns
Usage of badges or points to trigger a dopamine rush (receiving a badge, or on-screen confetti to celebrate accomplishing a goal has been shown to increase trading activity by over 5%)
Progress bars and leaderboards to push traders forward
Animation, interactions, and avatars to personalize the experience
Gamified educational content

Trading Gamification Examples

There are hundreds of trading gamification examples, and I will cover the three most common ones below.

Here are examples of the three primary types of trading gamification:

1. LiteFinance Demo Contest: Traders compete through demo accounts for cash prizes. The contests include leaderboards and achievements.

2. FTUK: A retail prop trading firm charging a one-time evaluation fee for potential access to a demo account that pays a cash profit share if traders meet conditions.

3. VantageFX: The VantageFX Rewards program grants redeemable V-Points for every trade.

The Gamification of Trading – Pros and Cons

Traders should consider the pros and cons of the gamification of trading before participating. Please note that my pros and cons are from a trader’s perspective. Brokers, companies, and trading apps reap countless benefits without any drawbacks.

The Pros of the Gamification of Trading

Traders can earn cash rewards for demo wins without investing real capital
Prop traders who can pass the challenge benefit from low entry requirements and high earning potential

The Cons of the Gamification of Trading

Deprives participants of necessary trading experience, as no actual trading occurs
Promotes unhealthy trading behavior, including excessive risk-taking and a gambling mentality
Fosters unhealthy financial decisions with grave long-term ramifications
Hinders long-term portfolio growth
Creates the illusion of success in finance, without actual exposure to trading psychology
May create an addiction to continued paying amid the hope of cashing out
Places unnecessary pressure on traders to catch up or compete
Lowers the drive towards in-depth education required to succeed as a trader

Future Trends in Gamification

The gamification of trading will accelerate its growth rate and adoption, and I have outlined likely trends.

The future trends in gamification may include:

Usage of big data to create a personalized experience
The implementation of AI to guide traders and create on-the-fly challenges
The potential requirement to obtain gaming licenses before offering traders financial games
Negative long-term financial development among traders
The prevention of inexperienced traders from striving to gain an in-depth education
A loss of potential traders amid frustration that they cannot play the game well enough

Bottom Line

Long term, the gamification of trading only benefits the brokers, companies, and apps, as they have massive earnings potential with zero risk. While they can “win” in the short term, gamified traders experience no long-term benefits but incur a high level of risk. They lose valuable education, time, and experience while adopting a false mentality, gambling habits, and lost income.

What is market gamification?

Market gamification describes the worrisome trend of approaching the financial markets as a game. It requires minimal capital, or even no capital, and promises instant cash rewards, badges, leaderboards, and perks. Everything functions in a demo environment, and no trading occurs.

Is there a trading simulator?

Most brokers offer demo accounts, which are central to the gamification of trading. Brokers and retail prop firms use demo accounts to entice traders to participate in the gamification of trading, by paying cash awards to the winners or those who manage to achieve pre-set goals.

What is gamification in trading?

The gamification of trading refers to the strategy of turning the complex task of trading into a game. It relies on setting goals for inexperienced traders, promoting reckless trading while encouraging the trader to chase an instant dopamine rush. The reward can be as little as a badge or on-screen confetti, to incentivize the trader to continue striving for the next milestone. Prime examples are demo trading contests, retail prop trading firms, and brokers or apps offering rewards for achieving goals.

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Christopher Lewis has been trading Forex and has over 20 years experience in financial markets. Chris has been a regular contributor to Daily Forex since the early days of the site. He writes about Forex for several online publications, including FX Empire, Investing.com, and his own site, aptly named The Trader Guy. Chris favours technical analysis methods to identify his trades and likes to trade equity indices and commodities as well as Forex. He favours a longer-term trading style, and his trades often last for days or weeks.

The DFX Team at DailyForex is a group of veteran financial analysts, traders, and brokerage industry experts dedicated to producing in-depth broker reviews and cutting-edge market insights, plus analysis of market trends. Holding over 16 years of experience in global financial markets, and 4 B.A. level academic qualifications in relevant degrees, we conduct thorough, unbiased evaluations of brokers to enable traders make informed decisions, using the most advanced methodology in the industry. Also, the DFX team is involved in generating technical analysis, signals, and trading strategies, with a consistent commitment to accuracy and transparency. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional trader, the DFX Team works to ensure you have the tools and insights you need to succeed as a trader in the retail CFD industry.