Polymarket Cornell market pulled after backlash over rape case

Polymarket has taken down a contract after a wave of criticism. The Polymarket Cornell market asked whether any of seven men accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting a Cornell student in 2024 would be charged with a felony sex crime, and the company removed it on Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Associated Press reported.

What happened

The market opened on Sept. 30 and was due to close on Jan. 31, 2027. It drew more than $450,000 in trading volume, with Front Office Sports counting $451,633 and a roughly 28% chance of "yes" as of Monday afternoon. It was listed only on Polymarket's international platform, not on its U.S. exchange.

The U.S. venue is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which bans contracts tied to "activity that is unlawful under Federal or State law." The international site operates separately and has hosted other disputed markets.

A woman identified as Jane Doe sued last month, claiming she was sexually assaulted or exploited by seven members of a fraternity in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her reports. The men deny the allegations, saying their contact was consensual or that they were not involved.

Why it matters

Much of the anger landed on Polymarket's famous promoters. An online petition named LeBron James, Eli Manning, Alexandra Daddario and Emily Ratajkowski, and critics asked why athletes and actors would lend their names to such a market. Front Office Sports has reported that James is paid $15 million a year to promote the platform.

It is not the first time. Front Office Sports listed earlier international-site markets that drew criticism, including one on whether a kidnapper would be arrested by a set date, and Kalshi faced its own backlash this year over a market on whether Iran's supreme leader would be "out." Kalshi has since publicly said it bans markets on war, death, assassination and kidnapping. The AP also recalled that a U.S. Army sergeant was indicted this year over bets on the capture of Venezuela's president, placed on Polymarket's international platform.

Polymarket first defended the contract, saying markets bring "objective, data-driven insight" into how such a case moves through the legal system. By Tuesday it had changed course: "We believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market." Rival Kalshi said it "would not consider" listing a contract like it.

The Polymarket Cornell market adds to the reputational questions around the sector, from insider trading probes covered in our House Oversight letters story to the wash trading concerns in our Polymarket Ethiopia report.

What's next

Polymarket has sponsorship deals with the NHL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the UFC and the ATP Tour, and the AP said it had asked each for comment. Partners may now push for clearer listing rules on its international site. The AP account is available via PBS News.

Regulators are watching too. With state lawsuits multiplying, episodes like the Polymarket Cornell market give critics fresh material in their argument that event contracts need tighter limits.