/Tech3h ago

WSJ investigation finds Polymarket used dummy websites and staged videos to target restricted US users

Paid creators promoted insider trading and market manipulation tactics.

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#1011

Original post

Neil Mehta@neilmhta

NEW investigation for @WSJ:

- Polymarket is paying scores of offshore clippers to quietly promote its international exchange in the U.S. (though it’s banned from letting Americans trade on the platform) - Polymarket made dummy websites mirroring its real site, then paid creators to use the fake site and pretend to win thousands. - Creators altered headlines and used outdated footage to imply they won bets—even when they often lost - Polymarket paid Adin Ross multiple millions to promote the site

All that and more in my latest story with @ByKLong @ceostroff @brenna__smith

6:31 PM · Jun 20, 2026 · 600.8K Views

Sentiment

Many users condemned Polymarket for staging fake winning videos with dummy sites and deceptive offshore tactics as exposed by WSJ reporting, while others praised the journalism.

Pos

27.5%

Neg

72.5%

26 comments with sentiment.

Cluster Engagement

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THE WALL STREET JOURNALVia

#1011

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VIEWS19.8KBOOKMARKS95LIKES170RETWEETS28

Neil Mehta@neilmhta

Check out the full story here (gift link): https://www.wsj.com/business/media/polymarket-social-media-bets-prediction-market-441cdeb5?st=57dR12&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

18h19.8K17095

REPLIES4

Juxhin Çela 🇪🇺🇺🇦@JuxhinCelaEU

This is harassment of a company @neilmhta.

They are not doing something ‘immoral’, the bad side is the state who doesn’t recognise the reality and the bad medias who are discriminating the company and not those are blocking it and the reasons.

How maybe the best newspaper out there is totally missing the point…

14h893

rat king 🐀@MikeIsaac

excellent story. truly awful stuff

https://www.wsj.com/business/media/polymarket-social-media-bets-prediction-market-441cdeb5?st=oE9Lbv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

1h2.8K4113

Bob Pickard@BobPickard

@neilmhta @ByKLong @WSJ Great reporting - and yet another example of how free societies benefit from serious journalism.

15h9.1K1411

Richard Hanania@RichardHanania

https://www.wsj.com/business/media/polymarket-social-media-bets-prediction-market-441cdeb5?st=oRKNGg&reflink=article_copyURL_share

7h4.3K223

felpix@felpix_

@neilmhta @WSJ W reporting!

17h7.6K43

al huxley@reztahla

@neilmhta @WSJ 🤔

14h2.1K321

Neil Mehta@neilmhta

@BobPickard @ByKLong @WSJ thank you very much!

15h8.1K41

Greg@gregdotxyz

@neilmhta @dan_bernstein_ @WSJ Holy fucking shit Polymarket has a marketing department. This just in to WSJ

18h1.3K103

JohnL10@ineedsow

@neilmhta @WALLACHLEGAL @WSJ Keep going. Dig deeper. I posted about this last year but nobody cared.

17h2.3K142

mark@mricci0x

@neilmhta @WSJ No shit. You know how many crypto influencers switched to gambling promos once the crypto KOL scam dried up. Know a few guys personally that were making more money in a few months than many make in a year at a normal job by posting BS wins. Filthy.

17h3K30