America's Wumao: Inside Polymarket's Paid Quote-Retweet Esports Program

Polymarket, a prediction market platform, has begun paying social media users to quote-retweet content from its branded esports accounts. The program currently includes over 800 participants, with rates ranging from $10 to several hundred per post, paid in cryptocurrency. Although paying for social media engagement is not illegal, and the program has strict guidelines around disclosure and the types of quote-retweets Polymarket seeks, the "Paid partnership" tag on X posts gives little indication of the scale and sophistication of Polymarket's esports operation, which has more than doubled in size since August.

The program, which is run from a Discord server, offers two products: Polymarket Global, inaccessible to U.S. bettors, and Polymarket US, subject to U.S. regulations. In esports, Polymarket provides lines for major events, player statistics, and novelty bets, including some related to team transfers. The prediction market company's esports outreach has been known in the esports world, but detailed information about the logistical aspects, costs, and the Discord server has been scarce.

Participants in the program typically come from various esports backgrounds, including commentators, professional players, team coaches, media entrepreneurs, PR professionals, and social media influencers. They are contacted through social media or email and invited to join the Discord server. Once there, they receive messages about specific tweets to quote-retweet, which usually focus on ongoing events or markets for betting.

Users are also directed to a tool called PolyTrack, where they input their tax information and crypto wallet address, and receive guidance on meeting the program's criteria.