{
  "id": 15937623,
  "title": "Why Did Polymarket Think It Was a Good Idea to Allow Bets on the Fates of the Cornell 7?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/why-did-polymarket-think-it-was-a-good-idea-to-allow-bets-on-the",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T18:55:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Futurism",
    "slug": "futurism",
    "url": "https://futurism.com/future-society/polymarket-cornell-7"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Polymarket, a prediction market, faced criticism after allowing users to effectively bet on rape and sexual assault. One specific market, titled \"Any of the Cornell 7 charged with a felony sex crime?\", remained on the platform for nearly three weeks before being taken down due to public outcry. The bet, which opened on September 30, revolved around the defendants from a civil suit filed last month by a former Cornell University student who alleged she was drugged and gang-raped by seven students from a fraternity. The case had gained significant attention, sparking protests and debates. However, the issue of Polymarket's participation in such a bet was largely overlooked by mainstream media. After being brought to light by Front Office Sports, Polymarket declined to comment, stating they would \"respectfully decline comment at this time.\" Polymarket has previously been involved in controversial bets, including one on a nuclear weapon being detonated before the year's end and others on climate change, military actions, and natural disasters. The platform's statement on the Cornell 7 bet emphasized the wisdom of crowds and transparency, but acknowledged its removal after receiving \"loud and clear\" feedback from the public.",
  "summary": "Polymarket argued that it brings \"objective, data-driven insight\" into how a sexual assault cases moves \"through the legal system.\" The post Why Did Polymarket Think It Was a Good Idea to Allow Bets on the Fates of the Cornell 7? appeared first on Futurism .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}