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WSJ says Polymarket used paid videos showing simulated trades and profits

WSJ says Polymarket used paid videos showing simulated trades and profits

The investigation says creators used lookalike sites to depict fake bets and winnings, while a campaign aimed at U.S. audiences added to scrutiny of Polymarket’s marketing and regulatory posture.

Fact Check
The original WSJ investigation directly confirms Polymarket flooded social media with deceptive paid-creator videos depicting fake betting success that was not real. The Block's detailed coverage confirms the use of near-identical lookalike/dummy sites (e.g., 'poiymarket.com') to stage fake bets and winnings, plus a campaign requiring 60% U.S. audience share. Multiple independent outlets (Yahoo Finance, Engadget) report the same findings, matching every key element of the claim—simulated trades/profits, lookalike sites, and U.S. audience targeting.
Summary

Polymarket paid social media creators to post videos showing bets and profits that were not real, with some clips filmed on dummy websites built to closely resemble the platform, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper reviewed 1,105 videos from 10 creators posted between December 2025 and mid-May and found that about 70% showed wagers, none of them genuine, representing roughly $1.9 million in simulated bets. Across 118 videos, creators celebrated nearly $900,000 in fabricated winnings on bets that would actually have lost more than $166,000. The report said creators were paid about $2,000 to $3,000 a month and instructed not to disclose the arrangement. It also said a marketing contractor, Virality, managed a network of clippers and paid them only when at least 60% of their audience was based in the U.S., helping the videos draw more than 140 million views across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Polymarket has been barred from offering its main prediction market platform to Americans since a 2022 settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, though U.S. users can still access the site through a VPN. The findings come as Polymarket seeks broader mainstream acceptance and tries to reverse the effect of its 2022 settlement while expanding into markets tied to private-company valuations and IPOs. The report also adds to scrutiny of the company’s promotion practices after Politico said on June 5 that Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Modabber used a personal PayPal account to pay creators who promoted Polymarket odds on X without labeling the posts as ads. Polymarket told the Journal it is committed to maintaining accurate, fair and transparent markets and plans a comprehensive audit of its promotional content.

Terms & Concepts
  • prediction market: A market where users trade on the outcome of future events.
  • VPN: A tool that routes internet traffic through another connection, sometimes used to access geographically restricted websites.
  • IPO: An initial public offering, when a private company lists its shares on a public market.