Polymarket pays online creators to post deceptive videos showing them making profitable bets on the prediction market. a new study in the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ said it analyzed 1,100 videos about Polymarket and also looked at the company’s instructional materials provided to creators. Many of those videos are said to be filmed on “perfect replicas” of the Polymarket website, while also featuring unrealistic trades and winnings. The creative videos were then boosted by a “social media army” deployed by the marketing contractor.
The company also instructed those creators not to say they were paid by Polymarket, although the creators began adding “@polymarket partner” to their bios after they started fielding questions from reporters, the WSJ said.
Razeen Khan, a college student and creator who worked with Polymarket until March, compared the experience to commercials that make fast food look more appealing than real life: “We’re portraying 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.
