Israel Charges Reservist, Civilian for Classified Polymarket Bets

Israeli authorities have charged an Israel Defense Forces reservist and a civilian with using classified military information to place profitable bets on the online prediction platform Polymarket, marking the first known case of its kind involving national security data.

The indictments, filed by the State Attorney's Office and unsealed on Thursday, accuse the two individuals of serious security offenses, bribery, and obstruction of justice. According to a joint statement from the Israel Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, the Israel Police, and the Defense Ministry, the reservist accessed sensitive details about upcoming military operations through his role in the military and shared them with the civilian. The pair then placed bets on Polymarket predicting the timing of Israel's strike on Iran, which occurred in June of the previous year. Their wagers, including one for nearly $34,000 on the attack happening by a specific Friday, yielded profits estimated at around $150,000.

The investigation, conducted jointly by Shin Bet, the police's Lahav 433 national crime unit, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, and the IDF's Information Security Department, began after...