Polymarket Pays Creators for 'Organic' Esports Posts

Polymarket Expands Paid Marketing Into Esports

Prediction platform Polymarket is paying more than 800 users on X to quote-post content from its branded esports accounts. According to a report published by journalist Mikhail Klimentov in the Reader Grev newsletter, participants receive payments ranging from $10 to several hundred dollars per post, settled directly in cryptocurrency.

The participant network grew significantly over a short period, expanding from around 300 creators in early August to over 800 two months later. The roster includes esports commentators, current and former professional players, coaches, and accounts with smaller follower counts.

How the Discord Operation Works

The promotional campaign is coordinated through a private Discord server. Inside the server, separate channels are dedicated to major competitive gaming titles such as League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2.

Coordinators post links to specific tweets and ask participants to like and quote-retweet them. One representative explicitly instructed creators to ensure their feeds do not look like blatant advertisements.

Literally this needs to look organic and if your X profile looks like Polymarket billboard that looks absoutely awful.

Ahead of major events like the League of Legends World Championship, representatives reminded participants to post regular personal content between paid shares so their daily account activity appears completely natural.

Payout Rates and Tracking Systems

Compensation is negotiated when a creator joins the initiative. Payout amounts are based on the average view counts their account generated beforehand, rather than the actual performance of the sponsored posts.

• Fees start as low as $10 per post, with moderate accounts making $45 to $75, and larger creators earning $200 to $300 per tweet.
• One participant reported earning nearly $900 in a single month from approximately a dozen posts.
• Creators log their posts, tax details, and crypto wallet addresses in a dedicated tracking portal called Poly Track.
• The program offers a 3% monthly referral bonus for bringing in new participants.

Estimates from the report suggest Polymarket spends between $2,000 and $4,000 per post in its most active promotional channels, though the total figure could be higher.

Sponsorship Disclosures and Past Marketing Efforts

Polymarket's formal external marketing guidelines require clear and visible sponsorship disclosures in plain language, while prohibiting participants from recommending specific trades.

However, Discord prompts stopped including reminders to use X's paid partnership tag starting in late August. While many participants still tag their posts as promotional, the regular disclosure reminder was dropped from coordinator messages.

This campaign follows previous discussions around Polymarket's marketing operations. In July, a representative mentioned phasing out PayPal because accounts were repeatedly locked due to high payment volumes. Earlier reports from media outlets like Politico and The Wall Street Journal also highlighted past influencer spending and promotional practices.

Industry Context and Platform Growth

The marketing expansion comes at a time when traditional esports organizers, including Riot Games, have explored potential sponsorship opportunities with prediction market platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi.

Polymarket did not respond to requests for comment regarding the Reader Grev report.