ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — An online prediction market is no longer accepting trades on the highly publicized Cornell sex assault case.
Users on Polymarket had been placing bets on whether any of the seven male defendants will be charged with a felony sex crime. The market was not available on Polymarket’s U.S. app, though it was available on the company’s international platform.
According to Front Office Sports, which first reported the story, more than $450,000 in international bets had been placed on the case. The market was removed Monday afternoon.
“Markets bring better, unbiased information about important events, in contrast to the disinformation we’re all drowning in, which too often leaves the public misled and disillusioned to the point of apathy,” a Polymarket spokesperson told Front Office Sports early Monday afternoon. “This case, and sexual assault on college campuses more broadly, are deeply important issues, 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.”
The case involves an alleged group sex assault at a Cornell fraternity house. Jane Doe, the plaintiff, alleges she was drugged and raped by seven then-Chi Phi fraternity members in October 2024.
Polymarket allows users to bet on the outcomes of real-world events. LeBron James, Eli Manning, and other star athletes recently appeared in a commercial for the company.
