Polymarket defends its decision to allow betting on war as ‘invaluable’

Mar 01, 2026 03:46 AM - 1 month ago 26202

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Everything is gambling now, moreover quality suffering.

Everything is gambling now, moreover quality suffering.

by

Feb 28, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

Screenshot 2026-02-28 astatine 3.31.33 PM

Screenshot 2026-02-28 astatine 3.31.33 PM

Terrence O'Brien

is the Verge’s play editor. He has complete 18 years of experience, including 10 years arsenic managing editor astatine Engadget.

Polymarket has been allowing group to stake connected erstwhile the US would onslaught Iran next. Obviously, now that it’s really happened and group person died, the prediction betting marketplace is emotion immoderate pressure. The tract has been astatine the halfway of contention before, including suspicions of insider trading connected the Super Bowl halftime show and the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In a connection posted connected its site, Polymarket defended its determination to let betting connected the imaginable commencement of a war, saying that it was an “invaluable” source of news and answers, earlier taking shots astatine accepted media and Elon Musk’s X. The connection reads:

Note connected Middle East Markets: The committedness of prediction markets is to harness the contented of the crowd to create accurate, unbiased forecasts for the astir important events to society. That expertise is peculiarly invaluable successful gut-wrenching times for illustration today. After discussing pinch those straight affected by the attacks, who had dozens of questions, we realized that prediction markets could springiness them the answers they needed successful ways TV news and 𝕏 could not.

We’ve reached retired to Polymarket for explanation astir its policies regarding betting connected violence, suffering, war, and death.

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