Polymarket Scraps Bets on ‘Cornell 7’ Felony Charges Following Backlash

Prediction-market giant Polymarket pulled a market on the Cornell University gang-rape case Monday, Oct. 19, following intense backlash from anti-sexual violence campaigners, according to Front Office Sports.

Launched Sept. 30 on Polymarket’s international platform, the market asked whether any of the seven accused fraternity members would be charged with a felony sex crime by Jan. 31, 2027. The market attracted $451,633 in trading volume before its removal.

At the time it was taken down, traders were pricing the probability of charges being filed at around 28%. The market was not available through Polymarket’s separately operated US platform.

Outrage Over Crime-Based Event Contracts

The market stemmed from allegations made by a former Cornell student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, who claims she was drugged and gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

In a civil lawsuit filed Sept. 16, Doe alleges that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted her after supplying her with alcohol, marijuana, and ketamine.

The defendants have denied wrongdoing, and none has been criminally charged.

Local prosecutors initially declined to pursue charges, but the investigation was reopened following widespread public criticism in the wake of the civil lawsuit. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul subsequently appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the case.

The market prompted swift outrage among advocates, including attorney Cheyenne Hunt, who called the contract “dehumanizing, disgusting, and dangerous” in a social media post.

Sexual assault advocacy nonprofit I Have The Right To also condemned the market, accusing Polymarket of turning alleged sexual violence into a financial commodity.

Critics further questioned whether trading contracts tied to active criminal proceedings could create financial incentives to interfere with ongoing investigations or prosecutions.

Celebrity Endorsers Targeted

The controversy threatened to engulf Polymarket’s growing roster of high-profile brand ambassadors, including NBA star LeBron James, former NFL quarterback Eli Manning, and baseball legend Derek Jeter.

According to Front Office Sports, James receives an estimated $15 million annually to promote the platform. In response to the market, advocates called on celebrity ambassadors to reconsider their association with the company.

Polymarket initially defended the contract.

“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,” a spokesperson told Front Office Sports.

However, the company subsequently acknowledged the pushback, telling the Associated Press it had heard public objections “loud and clear” before shutting down the market.

Polymarket has previously attracted criticism for offering wagers involving criminal cases, including the murder trials of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy and Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

This has raised fears that prediction-market gamblers could attempt to influence jurors or interfere with verdicts.