05.04.2026 05:06
Polymarket has come under fire after facilitating markets that speculate on the fate of missing U.S. service members. On Friday, Representative Seth Moulton (D‑MA), who is also running for the Senate, denounced the platform for fostering what he called “disgusting death markets.” The criticism follows an ongoing search‑and‑rescue effort for an American aircrew member whose aircraft was downed over Iranian airspace; the individual's status remains unknown, and speculation about their survival has turned into a betting topic on the site. Moulton warned that such wagers could involve anyone’s neighbor, friend or family member.
The lawmaker also took aim at former President Donald Trump, asserting that the president has profited from these morbid markets through his alleged access to classified intelligence. Moulton reminded readers that Trump is known to be an investor in Polymarket and may possess non‑public information that could give him an edge.
In response to the backlash, Polymarket promptly archived the controversial market, stating that it violated the firm’s “integrity standards.” The company added that it is investigating how the market managed to bypass its internal safeguards.
This episode is not the first time Polymarket has attracted controversy over death‑related contracts. Earlier reports indicated that several traders earned substantial gains from markets tied to the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. One account reportedly netted more than $460 000 by trading contracts on Iran strikes and Khamenei’s removal. On‑chain analytics firm Bubblemaps estimated that a dozen insiders collectively pulled in over $1.2 million from those same markets, noting that many of the involved wallets were funded roughly a day before the contracts were purchased, just hours before the strikes occurred.
Reacting to the uproar, Senator Chris Murphy (D‑CT) condemned the situation, declaring it “insane that this is legal.” He argued that individuals surrounding Trump are profiting from war and death, and pledged to introduce legislation as soon as possible to curb such practices.
