Inside Polymarket's paid quote-retweet esports program
Unveiling Polymarket's Paid Influence Campaign in Esports
By Mikhail Klimentov | October 15, 2026
📢 A Note from the Author
Before diving into the report, a few updates:
- Previous Work: If you missed it, check out my deep dive into the intimidation tactics used by Bobby Kotick's representatives against journalists reporting on gender discrimination and sexual misconduct at Activision.
- Support the Journalism: I have officially launched a paid subscription tier.
- Where the money goes: All funds are reinvested into the reporting process, covering legal reviews, hosting, software, travel, and the occasional new video game.
- Coming Soon: The next installment (exclusive to paid members) will explore the broader societal implications of the rising influence of prediction markets.
Special thanks to Ollie Ring for his research assistance and Riley MacLeod of Aftermath for the editorial polish.
The "Organic" Influence Machine
Polymarket, a prominent prediction market platform, is currently funding a sophisticated operation to pay social media users for quote-retweeting content from its esports-focused accounts.
While the company maintains guidelines for disclosure, the internal goal is clear: make paid promotion look like genuine grassroots enthusiasm.
"Literally this needs to look organic and if your X profile looks like Polymarket billboard that looks absoutely [sic] awful," one Polymarket representative stated within the program's internal Discord.
The Scale of Operation
The program has expanded rapidly, more than doubling in size since August. According to internal communications, the network now consists of over 800 participants.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Payment Method | Cryptocurrency |
| Pay Range | \10 \rightarrow \text{Several Hundred Dollars per post}$ |
| Primary Platform | X (formerly Twitter) |
| Target Audience | Esports fans and casual observers |
Market Offerings
Polymarket operates two distinct versions of its platform:
- Polymarket Global: Available to international users.
- Polymarket US: Specifically tailored for the United States market.
In the esports sector, they offer bets on:
- Match outcomes and major tournament results.
- Specific player performance statistics.
- Novelty bets (e.g., predicting off-season roster transfers).
The Logistics of Paid Engagement
The operation functions as an "open secret" in the gaming world. While some fans are wary of the influx of crypto-backed gambling—recalling previous "pump and dump" cycles from venture capital firms—the actual machinery of this program has remained largely hidden until now.
Participant Profile
The Discord server is a melting pot of industry figures, including:
- Professional players (active and retired)
- Team managers and coaches
- Esports commentators and media entrepreneurs
- PR specialists and "roster reporters"
- Tournament organizer employees
- General social media influencers
While some high-profile names are involved, many participants are relatively unknown users with follower counts in the low thousands.
The Onboarding Workflow
The process of becoming a paid promoter follows a specific pipeline:
The Daily Grind
Participants are monitored via a proprietary tool called PolyTrack. This dashboard allows users to track their lifetime earnings and ensure their posts meet company criteria. A typical instruction in the Discord might look like this:
[Link to Tweet]
"Please quote-retweet this!
Counts for the next 24 hours only.
Replies appreciated."
The Disclosure Gap
Legally, paying for social media engagement is permissible provided it is disclosed. Polymarket utilizes the "Paid partnership" tag on X. However, there is a concerning trend regarding internal instructions.
Until late August, Discord prompts explicitly included the instruction:
"+ Paid Partnership tag"
Since then, this specific directive has vanished from the prompts, though the reason for this change remains unknown.
Participant Checklist
To get paid, a user must typically complete these tasks:
- Join the designated esports channel in Discord.
- Monitor pings for active betting markets.
- Craft a comment that doesn't look like an advertisement.
- Submit the link via
PolyTrack.
Conclusion
Despite the scale of the operation, Polymarket has remained silent. Requests for comment sent to their official press channels and direct messages to the representatives managing the Discord server have gone unanswered.
The total cost of the program can be conceptualized as:
As the platform continues to grow, the line between genuine community discussion and paid corporate messaging in esports continues to blur.
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