An investigation has revealed that Polymarket paid social media creators to post videos that misrepresented its betting platform. The Wall Street Journal found that many videos used fake sites and showed wins that would have been losses.
The Wall Street Journal examined 1,105 TikTok videos linked to Polymarket. It found that 778 appeared to show bets being placed, yet none used the actual Polymarket website. Instead, creators relied on dummy sites designed to resemble the platform.
More than half of the videos that depicted winning bets would have resulted in losses if placed on the real site, according to the review. Creators who worked with the company received guidance materials intended to make the posts more convincing and engaging.
Polymarket also reportedly deployed a social media team to amplify the videos. The findings come as regulators in several jurisdictions examine prediction markets, with Minnesota banning them last month and Spain blocking access to Polymarket and Kalshi in May.
