Polymarket reportedly paid content creators to post hoax videos about fake bets

Polymarket paid online content creators to post deceptive videos showing them making profitable bets in the prediction market, according to a new Wall Street Journal investigation.

The Wall Street Journal said it analyzed 1,100 videos about Polymarket and also looked at educational materials the company provided to creators. Many of these videos were reportedly filmed on “near-perfect versions” of the Polymarket website, while showing trades and gains that were not real. The creators’ videos were then amplified by a “social media army” posted by a marketing contractor.

The company also asked those creators not to specify whether they received money from Polymarket, although creators began adding “polymarket partner” to their resume after journalists started asking questions, the Wall Street Journal said.

Razin Khan, a college student and creative who worked with Polymarket until March, compared the practice to commercials that make fast food seem more attractive than it is in real life: “We’re filming what’s actually happening.”

Polymarket said it is “committed to maintaining accurate, fair and transparent markets” and plans to conduct an audit of its promotional content.