Moulton rips Polymarket after platform took bets on search for the now-rescued US airman shot down over Iran - The Boston Globe

"They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member. And people are betting on whether or not they'll be saved," he wrote. "This is DISGUSTING."

Polymarket, in a response to Moulton's post two hours later, said that the now-suspended market should never have been opened on its platform.

"We took this market down immediately as it does not meet our integrity standards," the company wrote. "It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards."

Moulton doubled down, accusing the company of promoting bets "on the lives of our troops." He posted another screenshot showing various ongoing trades on Polymarket, including markets betting on a US ground invasion of Iran.

"Your integrity standards are severely lacking," he wrote.

Prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi, which allow users to bet on the outcome of real-world developments, have come under criticism for their loose guardrails and consumer protections, as well as the risk of insider trading.

President Trump announced on social media Sunday morning that the missing airman was rescued Saturday night. The rescue of the US airman followed an intense search after Friday's crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, while Iran had promised a reward for anyone who turned in an "enemy pilot."

Trump said that the service member was "seriously wounded and really brave" and rescued from "deep inside the mountains" in Iran.

Trump said a second crew member was rescued in "broad daylight" within hours of the crash. The fighter jet was the first known American aircraft to crash in Iranian territory since the US and Israel launched the war with strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.