Polymarket and Kalshi Say Influencer Partners Can't Deny Election Results, Actually
Key takeaways
- As conservative former reality television star Spencer Pratt fell to third place behind incumbent Karen Bass and city counselor Nithya Raman, several popular right-wing creators published posts casting doubt on the race.
- He has not posted any new Polymarket affiliate content since the takedown.
- Last week, Politico reported that Polymarket chief marketing officer Matthew Modabber pays content creators directly using PayPal, an unorthodox arrangement.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.Photograph: Ronaldo Bolaños/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story As the United States heads into an especially contentious midterm election season, prediction markets have already run into trouble with the political commentators they pay to promote their platforms. Both Kalshi and Polymarket have asked influencers to take down “paid partnership” tags on social media posts questioning the results of the Los Angeles mayoral election, the platforms confirmed to WIRED.
As conservative former reality television star Spencer Pratt fell to third place behind incumbent Karen Bass and city counselor Nithya Raman, several popular right-wing creators published posts casting doubt on the race. In one post, a MAGA influencer known as Gunther Eagleman, who has over 1.7 million followers, suggested that Pratt’s opponents were “stealing” the election. Kalshi asked the creators to remove the posts last Friday, as Semafor first reported.
The company does not publicly disclose its contracts with paid partners, but Kalshi’s rules specifically ban affiliates from questioning the integrity or accuracy of official election results and legal rulings made in connection with elections. “These are internal policies to guide our affiliates and partners, and they include standards around the promotion of and marketing of Kalshi markets on elections,” spokesperson Dani Lever told WIRED.