Polymarket Halts Bets on Air Force Officer Rescue Mission

Democratic Congressman Criticizes Polymarket for Allowing Bets on Rescue of Air Force Service Members

A Democratic lawmaker has strongly condemned Polymarket for permitting users to place bets on the timing of the United States confirming the safe return of Air Force personnel shot down over Iran.

Representative Seth Moulton took to social media to express his outrage, stating, “They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member. And people are betting on whether or not they’ll be saved. This is completely unacceptable.” (President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday the successful rescue of the second service member, a weapons system officer.)

Moulton went on to describe Polymarket as a “dystopian death market” and highlighted that Donald Trump Jr. has a financial stake in the platform. Recently, the congressman prohibited his staff from engaging in prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi.

Responding to the backlash, Polymarket swiftly removed the controversial market for failing to align with the company’s ethical standards.

“The posting should not have occurred, and we are currently investigating how this oversight happened despite our strict internal checks,” the company stated.

Polymarket had previously witnessed substantial trading activity, with hundreds of millions of dollars exchanged on contracts linked to potential military actions involving Iran and Israel.