Polymarket Pulls Controversial Bet on Rescue of Downed US Pilots
The incident involved a two-seater F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iranian territory, prompting a complex US extraction operation. Officials reported that one crew member was evacuated quickly, while the second required more than 24 hours to locate and retrieve, with multiple helicopters and a CIA diversion reportedly involved. Iranian authorities, however, disputed the success of the operation, claiming their forces destroyed a C-130 transport plane and two Black Hawk helicopters, with video footage of wreckage circulating online.
Amid uncertainty over the airmen’s fate, Polymarket briefly hosted a bet allowing users to predict whether the pilots would be rescued by specific dates, with roughly 63% of participants expecting a Saturday recovery. The platform later deleted the market following public outcry.
Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton criticized the bet as “DISGUSTING,” highlighting that the service members could be someone’s neighbor, friend, or family member, and condemning the idea of wagering on their survival.
Polymarket responded by stating, “We took this market down immediately as it does not meet our integrity standards. It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards.”
Moulton, however, rejected the apology as insufficient, arguing that the platform’s “integrity standards are severely lacking” and pointing to other active war-related betting markets still available on Polymarket.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
