So, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation on Polymarket: - Reviewed 1,105 promotional videos - generated more than 140 million views - paid creators $2,000–$3,000 per month - featured $1.9 million in displayed bets The investigation alleges that: - many of the featured bets were never actually placed - some creators used demo environments rather than the live platform - certain videos were recorded on a lookalike site, “poiymarketcom” According to the report: - 118 videos showed profits that allegedly never existed roughly - $900,000 in displayed winnings were not real - one creator appeared to win $100,000, but WSJ says the trade never occurred Why it matters: - some viewers reportedly copied the showcased trades - those positions would have lost more than $166,000 - despite videos portraying large gains The report also alleges that: - creators were encouraged to make content more engaging - videos were boosted through repost networks - campaigns targeted U.S. audiences - despite Polymarket restricting U.S. users Polymarket denies wrongdoing, says its markets remain accurate, fair, and transparent and has announced a full audit of its promotional content Times are crazy