Six of the twelve accounts placed their first bet within fifteen minutes of being created. Seven never touched another Polymarket market.

All twelve, opened between 1 and 20 October, named the same order for the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or: Kane first, Kylian Mbappé second, Lamine Yamal third, Rodri fourth, Lionel Messi fifth.

That pattern is now being examined by the SCCJ, France’s Central Racing and Gaming Service, after Groupe Amaury, the publisher that owns France Football and runs the award, filed a complaint with the police department.

€250,000 in, nearly €200,000 out

The accounts, all on the crypto-based prediction market Polymarket, staked roughly €250,000 and walked away with close to €200,000 in profit between them.

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On-chain analysis of the wallets put deposits across the twelve at about $309,000 and withdrawals at roughly $500,000. The first withdrawal landed 19 minutes after the result was announced.

One trader, using the handle kraben006, bought a Kane win at 37 cents, sold at 67 and reinvested in position-specific markets, including Yamal to finish third.

Results out before the winners walked on stage

The ceremony was held at the London Palladium, where Kane lifted his first Ballon d’Or with 1,055 points, 28 clear of Mbappé.

It did not go to script off the pitch. The gala ran heavily delayed, and the names of the winners had already leaked online hours before Kane walked on stage, according to Sports Illustrated.

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France Football has stood by the vote itself and said it is treating the betting activity, rather than the ballot, as the breach to investigate.

“We take these allegations of leaked results and potentially fraudulent betting very seriously,” the magazine said in its statement.

What the SCCJ now has to find

Groupe Amaury announced its complaint on Saturday, 31 October, five days after the gala.

The SCCJ’s task is to establish whether any of the twelve account holders had sight of the result before it reached the London stage, and, if so, where the leak came from.

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