Even missing US pilot became a betting target…Polymarket ultimately removes market

Polymarket, a prediction-betting platform, posted a market allowing users to bet on when a US fighter pilot missing in Iran would be rescued, but removed it after a wave of criticism.

On the 4th (local time), US outlets including NBC News and CNBC reported that a Polymarket betting market predicting when the missing US pilot would be rescued was posted and then taken down. The market was reportedly run in a format where users wagered on the timing of the rescue.

A day earlier, over southwestern Iran, a US F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by anti-air fire from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and one US service member aboard went missing in the process. The United States and Iran are currently both conducting search operations to locate the missing person.

Politicians immediately condemned the gambling centered on the missing service member. Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton said on social media that “they could be your neighbor, a friend, or family,” calling it “disgusting.” His point was that treating a missing soldier as a betting target is inappropriate in itself.

As the controversy grew, Polymarket said the market in question did not meet its integrity standards and was removed immediately. However, many other war-related betting markets are reportedly still operating. Rep. Moulton said there are as many as 219 war-related bets on Polymarket and urged that these, too, be halted entirely.

Meanwhile, Polymarket is a platform where users bet by predicting the outcomes of various events, including elections, sports and pop culture. Recently, products tied to US military operations have also appeared in succession, and as suspicions have been raised that insiders may be profiting by using classified information, the broader debate over the platform’s operating practices is also intensifying.

Oh Se-seong, Hankyung.com reporter sesung@hankyung.com