Mystery Polymarket trader turned $4 million into $9 million after Spain's shocking World Cup draw
Key takeaways
- The result produced two of the most extreme outcomes crypto-based predictions platform Polymarket has seen this tournament.
- Cabo Verde was playing in its first World Cup with no high-profile professionals, while Spain was a pre-tournament favorite and the reigning European champions.
- The winning account, which went by the name 'fishalive' and was created this month, made two bets against Spain, according to on-chain analytics firm Lookonchain.
The upset produced one of Polymarket’s wildest swings, as a new wallet called “fishalive” turned about $4 million into roughly $9 million in profit by betting Spain would not win and Cabo Verde would stay within 2.5 goals.Another Polymarket trader, “betoor619,” lost nearly $1 million backing a Spain victory for a potential gain of only about $85,000, underscoring both the risks of heavy favorites and the scrutiny on anonymous, onchain betting.FIFA World Cup debutants Cabo Verde held favourites Spain to a goalless draw on Monday, creating an outsized win for punters in a match that started with 1:10 betting odds against the minnows.
The result produced two of the most extreme outcomes crypto-based predictions platform Polymarket has seen this tournament. A brand-new wallet turned about $4 million into a profit of more than $9 million in a few hours, Polymarket data reviewed by CoinDesk shows. Meanwhile, another trader lost close to $1 million in a trade that would net just $85,000.
Cabo Verde was playing in its first World Cup with no high-profile professionals, while Spain was a pre-tournament favorite and the reigning European champions. Cabo Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha was named player of the match.