The debut of Polymarket probabilities on Sunday’s Golden Globes broadcast put the brand in front of millions of viewers
As usual, Sunday’s Golden Globes inspired a lot of reactions on social media, as many posters offered their takes on award winners and various happenings during the ceremony. But a new feature of this year’s broadcast of the awards show on CBS and Paramount+ was the focus of many comments.
Polymarket announced on Friday that it had struck a deal with the Golden Globes to become the awards show’s exclusive prediction market partner. While the news release announcing the agreement suggested that odds from Polymarket’s various Golden Globes markets would be spotlighted on the event’s digital platforms and social media, it turned out that the markets were also featured during the actual broadcast.
Viewer reaction on X to the Polymarket integration was mixed, but generally trended negative. While some pointed to the partnership as a positive sign of mainstream adoption of prediction market data and exposure to Polymarket specifically, others were annoyed with what they saw as the promotion of “gambling.”
Polymarket Golden Globes contracts not available to US users
The Golden Globes broadcast showed the Polymarket odds for upcoming awards on-screen, usually between presentations or as the show was getting ready to cut to commercials, with announcers Marc Malkin and Kevin Frazier discussing the latest winner probabilities.
Some entertainment media outlets covered the Polymarket integration with a negative spin, calling it “cringe” and “humiliating” in headlines. Vanity Fair offered more balanced coverage, noting that the Globes markets being featured during the broadcast was “yet another sign of just how much these prediction markets have infiltrated American culture.”
Vanity Fair’s John Ross talked with Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan at the ceremony. Coplan told Ross, “People are able to go and put money behind their opinions and as a result you get the odds of what’s likely to happen.”
That’s technically true on Polymarket’s crypto-native international platform, which is blocked for U.S. users. If Golden Globes viewers in the U.S. found their curiosity peaked by the on-air promotions, they would be able to visit the Polymarket global platform and see odds for 30-plus markets. But if they tried to sign up for an account and trade in the markets, they’d be greeted by a pop-up saying they only had access to “view-only mode” because “you appear to be located in the United States, France, or another restricted jurisdiction.”
Late last year, Polymarket soft-launched its U.S. app and has been gradually onboarding new users from the waitlist. Polymarket US currently only has sports markets, so even those with access couldn’t use it to trade on Golden Globes award outcomes.
Social media responds to Golden Globes prediction market debut
On X, the reactions to the Polymarket/Golden Globes team-up were featured in the “Stories” section with the headline “Polymarket Betting Odds Flash Across 2026 Golden Globes Broadcast.” The hub included an AI summary of the market integration news, followed by X users’ reactions.
Polymarket boosters and general prediction markets supporters pointed to the integration as a win for the platform and the industry, with the brand and concept being presented to scores of potential new traders who may not have previously been aware of event contract trading.
But other X users were less than thrilled with Polymarket’s presence during the Golden Globes broadcast, with many, including users with large followings, posting about being outraged by how “gambling” has been infiltrating more and more spaces in our society. Some even said the integration was a sign of “end-times” or “dystopia.”
Polymarket Golden Globes markets mostly accurate
During his chat with Vanity Fair, Coplan touted the accuracy of Polymarket’s Golden Globes markets. Prediction market platforms and their supporters often point to market probabilities as being more accurate than things like polling and punditry, as they harness the “wisdom of the crowd” (i.e. the traders trading against each other) to provide precision forecasts.
“So everyone around has been looking at the Polymarket on who’s going to win each category and it’s crazy it keeps calling it,” Coplan said. “Instead of it being betting against the house, people bet basically against each other. So there’s this dance, which is what we call price discovery, which finds the odds — it’s like, what’s the percentage? The percentage you see is derived from the trading activity. And it’s really accurate. It’s the most accurate thing we have.”
Coplan’s point was proven for the most part, as the majority of the Golden Globe nominees with the best odds of winning on Polymarket ended up actually snagging a trophy. There was one prominent exception — the market for “Best Motion Picture – Drama” gave Sinners the best odds of winning by a fairly hefty margin. But Hamnet, which had the second-best odds, emerged as the surprise winner.
The award show markets at prediction exchanges can be seen as another fun way viewers can engage with the ceremony; checking market odds is similar to reading stories in which reporters and experts predict who they think will win. But, given their accuracy, viewers who enjoy the thrill of the actual winner announcements may see them as spoilers, revealing winners before they are officially declared.
Polymarket received high-value brand exposure from awards broadcast
The online responses to the Golden Globes showcasing Polymarket odds are reminiscent of how many express dismay over sportsbook ads and odds being heavily featured during game broadcasts. You’ll see a lot of similar discussions on social media about how it is ruining sports and a sign of degenerating culture.
While those types of comments show that many in the general public might have a negative view of sports betting, millions of people continue to wager on sports nationwide, suggesting they either like or don’t mind sportsbook odds integrations. Public perception is often more varied than the loudest negative posts might imply.
Prediction market integration with live events is a brand-new concept and the many negative opinions about it were likely heightened by the market odds being something people have not seen before. But the bottom line is that, good or bad, people are talking about prediction markets in ways they haven’t before in mainstream culture.
Polymarket is undoubtedly thrilled with the brand exposure it received from both the Golden Globes broadcast and the virality of the discussions about the integrations on social media.
Mike Breen
Mike Breen has been a professional writer and editor covering a wide range of topics for more than 30 years. He’s been a freelance gaming industry writer since 2020, reporting on sports betting, online casinos, and more for various Catena Media sites, and he began reporting on prediction market industry news in 2025 for Prediction News. Prior to that, Mike was a founding editor at his hometown altweekly newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he extensively covered local arts, music and news.Mike’s published writing has received recognition and several awards from organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Alternative Newsmedia.When Mike is not working, Mike enjoys playing and listening to music, attending comedy shows, watching movies, and spending time with his family and three cats.
