After public outcry, Polymarket removed a contract from its prediction market platform that allowed users to wager on whether any of the seven men accused of raping a Cornell student in 2024 would be charged with a felony sex crime.
asserted
any → remove → crime
Launched on Sept. 30, the contract was scheduled to run until Jan. 31, generating over $450,000 in volume before being removed from Polymarket’s international platform.
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contract → launch → platform
“Our primary goal at Polymarket is to bring objective, data-driven insight to the most important questions of our time," a Polymarket spokesperson said Tuesday.
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spokesperson → bring → time
"This market addressed whether the government would take action — a process that deserves scrutiny, particularly in a case of such serious concern.
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that → address → concern
That said, we believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market.”
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we → say → market
Oversight of the platform's U.S. exchange falls under the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which forbids wagers connected to "activity that is unlawful under Federal or State law."
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that → fall → law
Public backlash regarding the Polymarket contract has focused partly on its high-profile endorsers.
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backlash → regard → endorsers
Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James, who holds an endorsement contract with Polymarket, recently starred in a celebrity-packed advertisement that featured Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Sue Bird, and several other figures.
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that → hold → Jeter
Polymarket additionally maintains formal partnership deals with the NHL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the UFC, and the ATP Tour.
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Polymarket → maintain → NHL
Inquiries seeking a response were sent to each of these organizations.
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Inquiries → seek → organizations
A spokesperson for director Spike Lee, who also featured in the commercial alongside James, stated there would be no comment.
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who → feature → James
Requests for statement were likewise directed to representatives for actors Craig Robinson, John Leguizamo, and Alexandra Daddario, who appeared in the same advert.
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who → direct → advert
Messages were left by the AP on Tuesday with representatives for James, Jeter, Manning and Bird.
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Messages → leave → James
Front Office Sports was the first to report on the contract.
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Sports → report → contract
A woman identified in court documents by the pseudonym Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaints.
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Cornell → identify → complaints
All of those men have denied her allegations, saying either that their interactions were consensual or that they weren’t involved.
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they → deny → allegations
Online critics characterized the Polymarket contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors would associate themselves with the company.
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ambassadors → characterize → company
An online petition singled out James, Manning, Daddario and model Emily Ratajkowski while calling on other famous endorsers to cut ties with the company.
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petition → single → company
Prediction markets provide an opportunity to trade on the result of future events.
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markets → provide → events
Sports account for a major portion of the volume generated by the array of typically yes-or-no question, depending on the platform.
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Sports → account → platform
When a U.S. Army sergeant was indicted earlier this year over bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he was trading on Polymarket’s international platform.
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he → indict → platform
The Associated Press reported in April that 50 brand new accounts on Polymarket’s international platform placed substantial bets on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire in the hours, even minutes, before President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on social media, raising concerns of insider trading.
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Trump → report → trading
Polymarket had an active market on its international platform on Tuesday that allowed customers to trade on whether Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff will be out by Oct. 31.
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Kotlikoff → have → Oct.
It had more than $10,700 in volume.
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It → have → volume
The Aporia
