Polymarket Apologizes for Bets on Fate of US Pilots

Polymarket is backpedaling after letting users gamble on whether two pilots from a downed US fighter jet in Iran would be found alive. Both have been rescued. The crypto-based prediction market pulled a contract that invited bets on the crew's fate after a congressman publicly blasted the wagering, reports NBC News. "We took this market down immediately as it does not meet our integrity standards," the company wrote. "It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards."

The move came after Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, a former Marine who served in Iraq, called the wagering "DISGUSTING" in a social media post, per the Hill. "They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member," he wrote. "And people are betting on whether or not they'll be saved." Moulton later acknowledged the decision by Polymarket to end the betting, but demanded that the site take down all war-related wagering.