Key facts
- Polymarket allegedly paid creators to film fake bets and wins on replica websites.
- The Wall Street Journal reviewed over 1,100 videos, finding nearly $1.9 million in fabricated wagers.
- Creators were paid $2,000-$3,000 monthly and initially asked not to disclose the paid partnership.
- The marketing campaign targeted U.S. users, as Polymarket is barred from serving Americans directly.
- Polymarket plans to conduct an audit of its promotional content.
- Polymarket settled with the CFTC in 2022 and has been banned from serving U.S. users since then.
Polymarket has allegedly paid dozens of creators, many of whom are college-aged, to film themselves placing fake bets and faking wins on near-identical copies of its website. A Wall Street Journal investigation reviewed 1,105 videos posted since December and found that none of the roughly $1.9 million in wagers shown were real. This included a staged $100,000 win by a college student, where the footage was filmed two months prior and the bet was ultimately lost by real accounts on the platform.
Creators were reportedly paid between $2,000 and $3,000 per month and were initially instructed not to disclose the paid partnership. The campaign specifically targeted U.S. users, who remain barred from Polymarket's main platform following a $1.4 million settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2022. Polymarket received approval in November 2025 to re-enter the U.S. market through a CFTC-licensed exchange, Polymarket US, though its primary site remains geoblocked for U.S. users.
Polymarket stated to the WSJ that it is "committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets" and intends to conduct a comprehensive audit of its promotional content. The findings complicate Polymarket's efforts to gain mainstream credibility, especially as it faces pushback from state regulators in the U.S. who have sued platforms like Polymarket and rival Kalshi over alleged unlicensed sports wagering.