Polymarket blocks wagers on fate of Cornell students accused of sexual assault

After facing public backlash, Polymarket has removed a market that allowed users to wager on the fate of the seven Cornell University students accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a fraternity house in 2024.

The prediction market archived the market, which asked whether any of the so-called Cornell 7 would be charged with a felony sex crime.

“Our primary goal at Polymarket is to bring objective, data-driven insight to the most important questions of our time,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“This market addressed whether the government would take action — a process that deserves scrutiny, particularly in a case of such serious concern,” they continued. “That said, we believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market.”

The market opened Sept. 30 and had nearly $400,000 in trading volume as of Oct. 4, according to a snapshot of the site earlier this month. The volume had reached more than $450,000 by the time the market was taken down, The Associated Press reported.

It appeared on Polymarket’s international site. The company has two platforms, a U.S.-based site that is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and an international cryptocurrency-based site.

“This is a victory for survivors,” said Jenna Sherman, campaign director at UltraViolet, which is leading a petition for brand ambassadors to cut ties with the company.

“By allowing its users to gamble on the ‘Cornell 7’ case, Polymarket was essentially gamifying gang rape and profiting from the pain of courageous survivors like Jane Doe,” Sherman added in a statement.

A former Cornell student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, filed a lawsuit against seven fraternity members and the university last month over her alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024.

The lawsuit has drawn scrutiny onto how Cornell and other universities handle campus sexual assault cases. Earlier this month, the Ithaca, N.Y., school brought in a former acting U.S. attorney general to conduct an independent review of its policies and practices related to sexual misconduct.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has also appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the case.