Polymarket took down wagers tied to rescue of downed Air Force officer

In Brief

A Democratic congressman had harsh criticism for Polymarket for allowing users to bet on the date the United States would confirm the rescue of Air Force service members shot down over Iran.

In a social media post on Friday, Representative Seth Moulton wrote, “They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member. And people are betting on whether or not they’ll be saved. This is DISGUSTING.” (President Donald Trump announced early Sunday that the second service member, a weapons system officer, has been rescued.)

Moulton also described Polymarket as a “dystopian death market” and noted that Donald Trump Jr. is an investor. The congressman recently banned his staff from participating in prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi.

Polymarket responded that it had taken the market down “immediately” for not meeting the company’s integrity standards.

“It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards,” the company said.

Polymarket previously saw hundreds of millions of dollars traded on contracts tied to the bombing of Iran by the United States and Israel.