TLDR
- Polymarket allegedly paid online creators to post videos showing fake, lucrative bets on its platform.
- Videos were filmed on near-perfect copies of the Polymarket website with fabricated trades and winnings.
- A marketing contractor deployed a “social-media army” to amplify the misleading content.
- Creators were reportedly told not to disclose they had been paid by Polymarket.
- Polymarket says it will audit its promotional content following the allegations.
Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market platform, allegedly paid online creators to post videos showing fake bets and winnings on its platform, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation published June 21, 2026.
New: According to WSJ @Polymarket paid creators about $2K to $3K a month to film fake bets and wins on dummy sites, with 1,105 videos showing about $1.9M in wagers that were not real and drawing more than 140M views. pic.twitter.com/dZ7OkmSA4d
— SolanaFloor (@SolanaFloor) June 21, 2026
The WSJ said it analyzed more than 1,100 videos about Polymarket and reviewed instructional materials the company gave to creators.
Many of the videos were filmed on what the WSJ described as “near-perfect copies” of the Polymarket website. The trades and winnings shown in the videos were not real.
The creator content was then pushed out to a wider audience through a “social-media army” run by a marketing contractor hired by Polymarket.
Creators Told Not to Disclose Payments
The WSJ reported that creators were instructed not to say they had been paid by Polymarket.
Creators only began adding “@polymarket partner” to their bios after WSJ journalists started asking questions, according to the report.
This raises questions about compliance with standard advertising disclosure rules, which typically require paid promoters to clearly label sponsored content.
One creator, Razeen Khan, a college student who worked with Polymarket until March 2026, defended the practice. He compared it to fast food commercials that make food look better than it does in real life.
“We’re depicting what actually happens,” Khan told the WSJ.
Polymarket’s Response
Polymarket issued a statement saying it is “committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets.”
The company said it plans to conduct an audit of its promotional content following the investigation.
Polymarket did not directly address the specific allegations around fake trades or undisclosed payments in its public statement.
Polymarket is a prediction market where users bet cryptocurrency on the outcomes of real-world events. It gained wide attention during the 2024 U.S. presidential election for its betting odds on political outcomes.
The platform operates in a largely unregulated space, which has drawn scrutiny from regulators in the past.
The WSJ investigation adds to a growing list of concerns about how crypto and prediction market platforms market themselves to retail users.
No regulatory action has been announced in connection with the findings at the time of publication.
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