Polymarket Removes Betting Market on U.S. Service Member Rescue

Polymarket, a leading cryptocurrency-based prediction market platform, removed a controversial betting market on Friday that allowed users to wager on the rescue of a U.S. service member whose aircraft was reportedly shot down over Iran. The decision followed swift public backlash, including sharp criticism from U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts and former Marine Corps officer.

The market, which appeared briefly on the platform, asked whether U.S. authorities would confirm the pilot's rescue by Saturday. Data from Polymarket showed that more than 60 percent of bettors anticipated no rescue by that deadline, with trading volume surpassing 250,000 and attracting over 8,000 participants. The incident unfolded amid an ongoing search-and-rescue operation for the service member, whose safety remained unknown at the time. One crew member from the jet has since been rescued, according to military reports, though details about others on board have not been disclosed.

Moulton, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, condemned the market in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "There is an ongoing search and rescue operation for a missing American service...