WSJ: Polymarket Ran $1.9M Fake-Bet Campaign Through Paid Creators

A Wall Street Journal investigation published 21 June 2026 found that Polymarket flooded social media with fabricated videos produced by paid creators, generating $1.9 million in staged bets. The scheme manufactured the appearance of organic user success to boost the platform's credibility as a prediction market. Whether Polymarket itself directed the campaign remains unclear, but the tactic exploits the regulatory gray zone that prediction markets currently occupy.