Polymarket Removes Bets on Whether Cornell Sexual Assault Defendants Will Face Felony Charges

Polymarket, the online prediction market platform, has removed a contract that let users bet on whether any of seven men accused of sexually assaulting or exploiting a Cornell University student in 2024 would be charged with a felony sex crime. More than $450,000 had been wagered, with Front Office Sports citing $451,633 in volume. The contract was available from Sept. 30 and was set to close Jan. 31. A Polymarket spokesperson said Tuesday the company had heard the outcry and removed the market. Polymarket's U.S. exchange is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which bars trading on unlawful activity. Separately, the accuser, called Jane Doe in court documents, wrote to faculty leaders that Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff questioned why she waited to report the alleged October 2024 assault. Cornell disputes that account, and faculty are preparing a possible no-confidence vote.

Alternative sources, AP and Awful Announcing, report the removal; Awful Announcing stresses scrutiny of athlete endorsers and says the market was offered only outside the U.S. Left sources, CBS and HuffPost, add the company statement, regulation and the accuser's letter. Right-leaning Washington Times reports only the removal.