--- title: "Why Did Polymarket Think It Was a Good Idea to Allow Bets on the Fates of the Cornell 7?" description: "Why did the prediction market Polymarket think it was a good idea to bet on the legal fates of the Cornell 7?" date: "2026-10-21" modified: "2026-10-21" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/polymarket-cornell-7" categories: - "Finance" - "Future Society" --- # Why Did Polymarket Think It Was a Good Idea to Allow Bets on the Fates of the Cornell 7? ![A photo shows protesters supporting Jane Doe, who alleges that she was sexually assaulted at a Cornell fraternity.]() *Shutterstock / Steve Sanchez Photos* Polymarket has showed that it can still hit a new low after the controversial prediction market was allowing users to effectively bet on rape and sexual assault. According to [coverage from *Defector*](), a market titled "Any of the Cornell 7 charged with a felony sex crime?" was on the gambling platform for nearly three weeks, before it was recently taken down after a public outcry. The [bet](), which opened on September 30, was referring to the defendants against a civil suit filed last month by a former Cornell University student who says she was drugged and gang-raped by seven students who were part of a frat house on campus. The harrowing case became a national news story, fueling headlines, sparking protests, and driving heated debates. And now, in an age of ubiquitous and effortless gambling, it was also powering bets. Women and women's rights organizations on social media began calling out the Polymarket bet over the past week, per *Defector*, though it largely escaped mainstream media scrutiny. The news site *Front Office Sports* [reached out for comment]() and got only a boilerplate statement. *Defector* followed up and got an even less informative reply: "Polymarket is going to respectfully decline comment at this time." The bet was suddenly taken down after the *FOS* story ran, even though the company's statement suggested no contrition or intent to change course. "This case, and sexual assault on college campuses more broadly, are deeply important issues," Polymarket said, "and markets bring objective, data-driven insight into how a matter like this is moving through the legal system, on a topic that deserves far more transparency and honest attention." It elaborated on this in a [statement]() to *PBS* after the bet was removed: "That said, we believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market." Polymarket has a sordid history of unscrupulous bets. It allowed users to bet [on whether a nuclear weapon would be detonated]() before next year, though it was taken down. It also routinely hosts bets on climate change, military actions, and natural disasters. The chilling thing, *Defector* notes, is that it's unclear if Polymarket would've bothered to take down the Cornell 7 bet if it hadn't started attracting negative attention. **More on finance:** [*Gambling Addiction Group in Shambles After It Turns Out It’s Funded by Kalshi*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()