Polymarket removes bets on outcome of Cornell sexual assault case

The online predictions market platform Polymarket has removed a contract that allowed users to bet on whether any of the seven men accused of sexually assaulting or exploiting a Cornell student in 2024 will be charged with a felony sex crime.

More than $450,000 had been wagered on this question before it was taken off Polymarket's platform.  It had been available since Sept. 30 and was slated to close on Jan. 31. The company's U.S. exchange is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which bans trading related to "activity that is unlawful under Federal or State law."

"Our primary goal at Polymarket is to bring objective, data-driven insight to the most important questions of our time," a Polymarket spokesperson said Tuesday. "This market addressed whether the government would take action — a process that deserves scrutiny, particularly in a case of such serious concern. That said, we believe in the wisdom of crowds, have heard them loud and clear, and removed the market."

Some of the recent outcry over the Polymarket contract has been aimed at its celebrity promoters. Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James has an endorsement deal with the platform, and he recently appeared in a star-studded commercial that also included cameos by Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Sue Bird and several others.

A spokesman for Spike Lee, who also appeared in the Polymarket commercial with James, told the Associated Press the director had no comment.

Polymarket also has partnership agreements with the NHL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the UFC and ATP Tour. 

A woman identified in court documents by the pseudonym Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit last month alleging that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaint. All of those men have denied her allegations, saying either that their interactions were consensual or that they weren't involved. They have not been charged with a crime.

Online critics characterized the Polymarket contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors would associate themselves with the company. An online petition launched by UltraViolet, a women-led national advocacy organization, singled out James, Manning, Daddario and model Emily Ratajkowski while calling on other famous endorsers to cut ties with the company.