Polymarket Paid Creators for Misleading Videos with Fake Bets, Investigation Finds
A Wall Street Journal investigation found that Polymarket paid online creators to post deceptive videos showing fake bets on a copy of the platform, without disclosing the payments.
Polymarket, a prediction market platform, has been paying online creators to produce deceptive videos that appear to show them making profitable bets, according to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ analyzed 1,100 videos about Polymarket and reviewed instructional materials provided to creators. Many of the videos were filmed on “near-perfect copies” of the Polymarket website, featuring trades and winnings that were not real. The videos were then amplified by a “social-media army” deployed by a marketing contractor.
The company reportedly instructed creators not to disclose that they were paid, though some added “@polymarket partner” to their bios after journalists began asking questions. Razeen Khan, a college student and creator who worked with Polymarket until March, compared the practice to commercials that make fast food look more appealing than it is: “We’re depicting what actually happens.”
Polymarket stated that it is “committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets” and plans to conduct an audit of its promotional content.
