After his win in the Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani has rocketed to 71% on Polymarket. Users on the prediction market have put $5.5 million on him, with “Yes” shares priced at 71 cents and “No” shares at 29 cents. A major reason for Mamdani’s win has been attributed to his progressive ideology and the policies he aims to implement in the city.
The jump came on June 25 and has remained relatively solid since it reached its peak of 75% chance. It has slightly dipped to a low of around 67%, but it is by and large massive steps away from other potential winners like the current mayor, Eric Adams.
Even Andrew Cuomo is still being bet on, holding a $1.69 million total behind him, but with an 8% possibility of winning. It’s expected that he’ll run independently of the Democrats. Pre-Mamdani win, Cuomo sat at 47%, but was quickly dropped by a lot of holders in the market.
Polymarket Mamdani bet riddled with discriminatory comments
Of course, Polymarket users have taken Mamdani’s success in stride, with some users expressing strong support and others strongly opposing his candidacy, often invoking criticism of his political stance.
However, the particular wager, sitting at a $12.9 million volume, has attracted an assortment of discrimination. While moderating a website is generally difficult at this scale, this particular vote has drawn in a number of offensive and discriminatory remarks that violate Polymarket’s community guidelines.
One comment refers to the post-9/11 slogan of “Never Forget”, claiming people have “forgotten.” They then go on to call Mamdani a “pro Hamas trans activist democrat socialist”. Another towards the top of the page states that “Civilised people in America don’t eat by hand”, forgetting about hot dogs, chips, and pizza.
Some users have declared that New York City is “finished,” while others have posted allegedly racist language, visible within minutes of scrolling.
ReadWrite has reached out to Polymarket regarding its moderation practices.
Featured image: Dmitry Shein / Creative Commons 4.0 / Polymarket
