The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has published an investigation finding that prediction market platform Polymarket paid online creators to post videos depicting fabricated bets and winnings on social media.

The WSJ analyzed more than 1,100 videos about Polymarket and reviewed instructional materials the company provided to creators. The videos were filmed on near-perfect copies of the Polymarket website and featured trades and winnings that were not real. A marketing contractor then deployed a social media network to amplify the content.

Undisclosed Payments, Fabricated Wins

In 118 of the videos reviewed, creators reacted to winning bets totaling nearly $900,000. According to the WSJ, those bets would have lost $166,000 in reality. Subtle details in some clips signaled their deceptive nature, including one video in which a creator visited “poiymarket.com” rather than the actual platform domain.

Polymarket also instructed creators not to disclose that the company had paid them. After the WSJ began asking questions, creators started adding “@polymarket partner” to their bios. Many subsequently removed the videos from their accounts, and Polymarket took down fake sites, including “poiymarket”, that had been used in the campaign.

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

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