Polymarket Influencer Payments Draw Scrutiny Over Undisclosed X Promotions

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• Polymarket CMO Matthew Modabber sent at least $350,000 to content creators between January 2025 and February 2026.
• At least 20 influencers allegedly promoted Polymarket on X after receiving payments, with many posts lacking clear sponsorship disclosures.
• The payments reportedly coincided with more than 490 Polymarket-related posts on X during the period reviewed.
• Polymarket said partnerships with influencers are part of its standard business practices.
• The report comes as prediction markets face increased attention from regulators and policymakers in the United States.

Report Details Influencer Payment Network

A investigation alleges that Polymarket’s chief marketing officer, Matthew Modabber, used a personal PayPal account to send payments to hundreds of content creators as part of a broad influencer marketing campaign promoting the prediction market platform.

Polymarket also appeared in several of Shirley’s videos, including a December man-on-the-street interview series focused on the “current state of America.”

According to Politico, transaction records showed Modabber sent at least $350,000 to influencers between January 2025 and February 2026. The publication said the total may be significantly higher, as records indicated more than $2.5 million in transfers to over 800 individuals during the same period.

Identified at least 20 influencers who promoted Polymarket on X after receiving payments. The report found these creators collectively published more than 490 posts about the platform without clearly disclosing paid partnerships.

Influencer Promotions Coincided With Polymarket’s Rapid Growth

The reported campaign took place during a period of rapid expansion for Polymarket. The platform experienced a significant rise in trading activity during the 2024 U.S. presidential election cycle, when users wagered billions of dollars on election-related outcomes.

Several influencers cited in the report allegedly promoted Polymarket’s election markets, government policy markets, and other prediction contracts. Many posts presented Polymarket odds as breaking news or authoritative indicators of future events.

The publication also reported that some influencers claimed Polymarket supplied suggested content and encouraged promotion of specific markets at particular times.

Among those identified in the report were political commentators, media personalities, and social media creators from across the political spectrum, including conservative and progressive influencers.

In May 2024, influencer Shane Ginsberg promoted Polymarket through election-themed street interviews as part of efforts to increase the platform’s visibility. Ginsberg had recently begun working with Polymarket to help increase the platform’s brand visibility, according to his website.

Polymarket Faces Increasing Global Scrutiny

Polymarket faces growing regulatory and legal challenges across several countries. In the first week of June, South Korean police reportedly opened their first investigation into Polymarket users over alleged illegal gambling activity, while Indonesian authorities blocked access to the platform after classifying it as online gambling. In India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also moved to block prediction market platforms, including Polymarket.

The platform has additionally been linked to other recent controversies. These include allegations that a Google engineer used internal search data to generate approximately $1.2 million in Polymarket profits and claims from a trader who said he lost roughly $500,000 after selling Bitcoin to pursue a Polymarket-based trading strategy. The developments have added to ongoing debates over the regulation and oversight of prediction market platforms.

Influencers Promoted Polymarket as a Reliable Predictor

Many influencers framed Polymarket as an authoritative source for predicting political and current events, often highlighting the platform’s accuracy when discussing elections and other major developments.

In an October post on X, Brian Krassenstein wrote, “It really is unbelievable how accurate Polymarket has been these last 9 months.”

Similarly, media personality Elijah Schaffer praised the platform’s forecasting performance, writing, “That’s insane that Polymarket has become so insanely accurate with this kind of stuff.”

Disclosure Questions Emerge Amid Regulatory Attention

The report has renewed attention on disclosure requirements for sponsored social media content. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission generally requires influencers to clearly disclose material connections with companies whose products or services they endorse.

The allegations emerge as prediction markets continue to attract regulatory and political attention in the United States. Polymarket, which settled with U.S. regulators in 2022 over operating an unregistered derivatives market, has recently moved toward expanding its U.S. presence following the resolution of federal investigations and the acquisition of a regulated exchange business.

Disclosure Concerns Draw Attention

The allegations have intensified concerns over disclosure practices in influencer marketing, with reports claiming that numerous creators promoted Polymarket on X without clearly identifying paid relationships. The developments have renewed focus on transparency requirements for sponsored content as regulators and policymakers continue examining the growing influence of prediction market platforms.