An investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed that Polymarket paid individuals to create fake videos of placing bets and celebrating winnings on social media. Over 1,100 deceptive clips were identified, showing reactions to supposed wins of nearly $900,000, which were actually based on bets that would have lost $166,000. Clues indicating the videos' fraudulent nature included slight misspellings in the domain name used in one clip. Following inquiries from the Journal, many creators deleted the videos, and Polymarket removed associated misleading websites.

Notifications

Hamburger Navigation Button

Navigation Drawer

The VergeThe Verge logo.

closeClose

LightSystemDark

Comments Drawer

Notifications

Comments

Tech
News

Polymarket reportedly paid people to post fake videos of themselves placing bets

According to the Wall Street Journal the clips showed people winning $900,000 on bets that would have lost $166,000.

byTerrence O'Brien

Jun 21, 2026, 10:19 AM EDT

Link
Share
Gift

STKB384_POLYMARKET_D

Image: The Verge

Part Of\ \ Everything is gambling now: the latest news on prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi\ \ see all updates

Terrence O'Brienis the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.

According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Polymarket has been paying people to film themselves placing fake bets and celebrating fake wins on social media. WSJ identified over 1,100 deceptive clips and talked to creators who, despite not stating as such in their videos, confirmed the company paid them to create the clips.

The videos posted on social media look legit at first, but there are subtle clues that betray them as fraudulent. For instance, when examined closely, one clip shows someone visiting “poiymarket.com” rather than polymarket.com. According to the Journal’s investigation, none of the bets placed in the over 1,100 videos it reviewed were real. In 118 videos, the creators were shown reacting to winning bets totaling almost $900,000. But in reality, those bets would have lost $166,000.

Add Verge on Google

Add Verge as a preferred source to see more of our reporting on Google.

Add us on Google

Since the Journal started asking questions, many creators have scrubbed the videos from their accounts, and Polymarket has taken down sites like “poiymarket” which were used as part of the ploy.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

Terrence O'Brien
News
Tech

More in: Everything is gambling now: the latest news on prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi

Kalshi adds required employment verification for some prediction market bets

Stevie BonifieldJun 10CommentsComment Icon Bubble1

Kalshi will reportedly ask for employment info for bets in “sensitive” markets.

Stevie BonifieldJun 9

NPR reports the feds are investigating George Santos for allegedly betting on his own SOTU attendance.

Stevie BonifieldJun 2

Most Popular

The Verge Daily

A free daily digest of the news that matters most.

Email (required)

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertiser Content From\ \ Sponsor Logo \ \ This is the title for the native ad\ \ Sponsor thumbnail