Polymarket removes bets on outcome of Cornell sexual assault case

October 21, 2026 / 9:37 AM EDT / CBS/AP

The online predictions market platform Polymarket has removed a contract that allowed users to bet on whether any of the seven men accused of sexually assaulting or exploiting a Cornell student in 2024 will be charged with a felony sex crime.

More than $450,000 had been wagered on this question before it was taken off Polymarket's platform. It had been available since Sept. 30 and was slated to close on Jan. 31. The company's U.S. exchange is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which bans trading related to "activity that is unlawful under Federal or State law."

"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. "This market addressed whether the government would take action — a process that deserves scrutiny, particularly in a case of such serious concern. That said, we believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market."

Some of the recent outcry over the Polymarket contract has been aimed at its celebrity promoters. Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James has an endorsement deal with…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/