Polymarket is ending its paid influencer relationship with former Congressman George Santos as the CFTC investigates whether he illegally bet against his own attendance at President Trump’s State of the Union. According to people familiar with the probe, Santos publicly announced he’d attend the February 24 speech, placed bets on rival prediction market Kalshi, then missed the event and blamed a delayed flight, trades Kalshi flagged and referred to regulators as possible insider trading. Santos had been promoting Polymarket since his release from prison last October, when Trump commuted his seven-year sentence for stealing campaign funds. On his podcast, Santos has called prediction markets “easily manipulable,” insisting “it is not a crime to do prediction market.”
