The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have announced a penalty to Stakelogic for breaching product design errors. See the official announcement from the UKGC below:
Stakelogic BV, which runs games on other operator’s websites and apps, ran slots games faster than the minimum time gap of 2.5 seconds between spins.
An investigation was launched after Stakelogic reported to the Commission that its game Tiger Temple 88 was found to have operated with 1.97 seconds between spins, breaching the minimum time standards.
Following a Commission investigation, the Licensee conducted re-testing of its entire portfolio of games offered to the GB market. This revealed that a further 15 games were found to be in breach of the minimum time gap requirements.
These games were found to be between 0.001 seconds to 0.675 seconds below the minimum 2.5 seconds standards, with many found to have operated at 0.042 seconds or below the cycle requirements set out in the Commission’s Remote Technical Standards (14D).
Tiger Temple 88 was non-compliant between 28 May 2025 to 30 May 2025 and the remaining 15 games were running too fast during various periods between 31 October 2021 and 30 October 2025.
During the Commission investigation it was revealed the errors were caused because Stakelogic were measuring the timeframes inaccurately due to their reliance on using a manual stopwatch to test compliance with the remote technical standards.
John Pierce, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence, said: “With all the technological resources available to an online gambling business, it is unacceptable that Stakelogic were relying on a manual stopwatch to measure the speed of their games.
“After reporting this error to the Commission, Stakelogic immediately self-suspended the use of the affected games until the error had been rectified. They have subsequently taken significant steps to assure the Commission that they now have robust policies and procedures in place to prevent future breaches from occurring.
“We would urge all operators to take careful note of this case and ensure they have effective testing practices in place to ensure they are meeting all the standards we require.”
Minimum online slots speeds were introduced in 2021 as part of a wider package of measures designed to reduce the overall intensity of gameplay and protect consumers from harm. Research showed that fast game cycle speed is associated with increased risks to the consumer.
Stakelogic will pay the money as part of a regulatory settlement with the Commission
July 06, 2026
Stakelogic BV to pay £122,835 for running slots too fast
July 03, 2026
Spotify Pulls Streams On a Hit Song Over Alleged Fraud Tied to Kalshi Betting
Spotify has removed about 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd’s hit song “Earrings” days after the song topped the platform’s daily U.S. chart for the first time, as its surge has been tied to manipulation based around bets on the prediction market Kalshi.
Spotify has asked both Kalshi and Polymarket to remove its logos from their websites, further underlining that the streaming service has never had a partnership with either company.
“All streaming services face ever-changing stream manipulation,” the company said in a statement. “Spotify has best in class detection and mitigation practices for manipulated streams, and we don’t pay out associated royalties.”
As of this story’s publication, there’s no suggestion Todd or his team was affiliated with the streaming manipulation. Todd is one of the industry’s fastest-rising acts, and “Earrings” has been floating within the top 5 of Spotify’s daily U.S. chart for weeks, which helped the song in being a ripe target for manipulation from bettors. On Sunday, the song was sitting at Number Four on Spotify’s daily chart, and by Monday, the song hit Number One. The Financial Times reported that the daily jump represented a 70 percent climb. “Earrings” has stuck at Number 3 on Spotify’s chart for the past two days.
A Spotify source told THR that given the activity, Spotify would be “adding additional checks to the charts before they’re published.”
A representative for Kalshi said that “we’re in touch with Spotify and are actively investigating this matter.”
The incident reflects potential broader industry-wide issues that could be surfacing as prediction markets have turned the entertainment business’s charts into bonafide betting lines. As of this story’s publication, Kalshi lists dozens of different props based on results for charts from Spotify and Billboard. The streaming services had already seen some level of attempted chart manipulation for years in both more nefarious fraud schemes as well as stan armies trying to help their favorite acts top the charts. The notion that the average music listener can now profit on results they have a chance to manipulate only further incentivizes the activity.
Outside of the music charts, earlier this year a MrBeast editor was accused of insider trading over the YouTuber’s videos on Kalshi.
Still, while issues abound, the prediction markets are seeking to further embed themselves into Hollywood. Polymarket entered into a partnership with the Golden Globes earlier this year, and Kalshi has struck deals with the likes of CNN, CNBC and Fox News.
July 02, 2026
Grim New Prediction Market Lets Gamblers Bet on Raging Wildfires
Ever wanted to role play a claims adjustor in Southern California? Now you can — with Wyldfyre, the world’s first standalone prediction market dedicated to wildfire risk.
Even more than usual, this summer promises to be hot, dry, and primed for horrifying wildfires throughout North America and beyond; families are already fleeing deadly blazes in California. With mainstream prediction markets like Kalshi shying away from wildfire bets amidst growing scrutiny, it stands to reason that there’s money to be made for anyone willing to lower their scruples even further — every crisis is an opportunity, after all.
Unlike more general-purpose prediction market services like Polymarket, Wyldfyre is built entirely around forest fires, per High County News, which first spotted the gambling site. “You can’t predict fire,” the site’s vibe-coded splash page announces, “but you can trade on it.”
Essentially, Wyldfyre promises to be the “first prediction market for California wildifre.” Every county, city, and region is “priced in real time” through a combination of satellite data, live data from first-responders — and, of course, the wisdom of the crowd, the site explains.
Acknowledging that there are 7,000+ fires each year in California alone, Wyldfyre promises to turn “collective intelligence into better wildfire forecasting — one trade at a time.”
Though Wyldfyre only offers simulated bets at the moment — “paper trading now, real money coming soon,” the website currently declares — the shell site is a potent microdose of the growing prediction market industry.
At face value, the site’s creator would have you believe Wyldfyre is some sort of public service, allowing unparalleled access to Johny Public’s collective wisdom on wildfires, as if that were somehow a useful metric for forecasting wildfire activity. The reality is that gambling on the outcome of such a specific event introduces a perverse incentive to create the conditions that fulfill a person’s bets. In other words, allowing somebody to wager on whether a major fire will break out in their neighbor’s yard gives them a strong financial reason to go set their neighbor’s yard on fire (and really, in a dog-eat-dog economy like ours, it’d be irrational not to.)
Outside the gambling world, nobody seems very keen on the idea. “Systems that tie financial gain to wildfire outcomes risk encouraging misuse, including arson, and are not compatible with our mission,” a US Forest Service spokesperson told High County.
With swelling inflation, a major housing crisis, and rising layoffs, it’s no secret that the economy is coming apart at the seams. If prediction markets like Wyldfyre have their way, struggling workers might soon find that striking a match is all it takes to get into the green — an indictment on both an economic system that’s driven millions to the breaking point, and on the bottom feeders who’ve decided that climate catastrophe is nothing but a yet another financial opportunity to be tapped.
Zuckerberg asks Meta to explore working with Polymarket and Kalshi
The social media company's executives have said Arena, Meta's new prediction market app under development, will differ from Polymarket and Kalshi, which accept real-money wagers, because it will instead rely on video-game-like "points", the report said.
Prediction markets surged in popularity during the 2024 U.S. presidential election and have evolved into an asset class that lets investors wager on a variety of events, from monetary policy to sports tournaments.
But they have also drawn increasing scrutiny as well-timed trades ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's major policy surprises have potentially led to millions of dollars in profits for unknown traders.
Zuckerberg's target demographic for Arena is 18- to 34-year-olds and Meta is aiming to reach at least 100 million monthly active "predictors" for the app, according to the report.
Arena is being tested internally and may not be released, the report said, adding that Meta plans to eventually integrate parts of Arena into Facebook and Messenger.
The Times first reported on Tuesday that Zuckerberg recently dispatched a small team at his company to create a smartphone app similar to Polymarket and Kalshi.
June 26, 2026
Prediction market giant Polymarket confirmed that hackers stole funds from an unspecified number of users after a third-party breach
As of Thursday afternoon, it’s unclear exactly what happened.
When reached by TechCrunch, Polymarket spokesperson Connor Brandi confirmed that the breach led to users’ funds being stolen but declined to provide more information, and did not respond to specific questions about the incident.
Around the same time as the Polymarket post, blockchain monitoring firm PeckShield reported on X that a phishing campaign was targeting Polymarket users. According to PeckShield, hackers had stolen around $3 million worth of cryptocurrency.
A blockchain analyst also reported similar losses and claimed that the funds were stolen from more than 11 victims.
Polymarket offers users the possibility of being paid in cryptocurrency.
In the last couple of days, two people on social media claimed to have had their Polymarket funds stolen.
The hack is the latest blow for a company that has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons this week. On Sunday, an investigation revealed that Polymarket had paid online creators to post deceptive videos showing they won lucrative bets that were actually fake. In response, the company said it would audit its promotional content.
June 18, 2026
World Cup player Elye Wahi arrested for alleged fixing offences on eve of tournament
Elye Wahi, the Ivory Coast footballer who is playing at the 2026 World Cup, was arrested on suspicion of fixing offences less than two weeks before the tournament.
Sources with knowledge of events, who like others spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly, confirmed the 23-year-old is the subject of an active investigation, which is seeking to establish whether Wahi, while playing for his club side Nice, deliberately earned a yellow card against Metz on May 17.
Wahi was subsequently arrested by French police on May 29, immediately after starring with two goals in a win over Saint-Etienne that kept Nice in Ligue 1, France’s top division.
He has subsequently travelled to the United States for the World Cup and started in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 over Ecuador on Sunday in Philadelphia, hitting the bar in the second half. Ivory Coast’s next game is against Germany in Toronto on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the Marseille public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday: “We can confirm that a 23-year-old football player, competing in France’s Ligue 1, was arrested on May 29 as part of an investigation opened by the Marseille public prosecutor’s office into allegations of organized fraud, organized sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering.
“He was released after he was interviewed in police custody. The investigations remain ongoing. The football player is not a member of the French selection taking part in the World Cup.”
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the case, who spoke anonymously so that they could discuss the allegations candidly, the probe began after the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), the governing body that runs the domestic game in France, received several notifications of suspicious betting patterns in Nice’s Ligue 1 fixture against Metz, involving wagers on Wahi to receive a yellow card.
The practice of manipulating events within a game is known as spot-fixing.
The LFP confirmed they had been alerted to “an unusual volume of bets relating to a booking involving the player Elye Wahi.”
A statement on Wednesday read: “At this stage, and in view of the ongoing proceedings and the associated confidentiality requirements imposed on it by the police authorities, the LFP will not make any further comment and has not initiated any disciplinary proceedings. It reserves the right, however, to do so depending on how the investigations progress.
“The LFP reiterates that it remains fully committed to safeguarding the integrity of its competitions and that it will take the strongest possible action against any behaviour likely to compromise it.”
Wahi was included in Ivory Coast’s World Cup squad on May 15, four days before the Metz fixture.
In that match, Wahi received a yellow card in the 35th minute after a late tackle on Metz defender Sadibou Sane. He had previously committed a foul two minutes earlier, when sliding in on full-back Bouna Sarr, though that challenge did not result in a caution.
Following that booking, Wahi was suspended for the first leg of Nice’s relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne on May 26, having picked up five yellow cards over the course of the Ligue 1 season. With Wahi watching on from the stands, Nice drew 0-0 away from home.
Wahi returned to the starting line-up in the second leg three days later — starring in a 4-1 home victory in which he scored two goals and was named man of the match.
He was subsequently arrested by anti-corruption specialists in the French police.
Wahi has not been charged with any crime as the investigation continues and subsequently travelled to North America for the World Cup.
The striker previously represented France at youth level before switching allegiance to the Ivory Coast in March this year.
Wahi played 55 minutes at striker against Ecuador, linking up well with man of the match Yan Diomande before hitting the bar two minutes before his substitution. He was replaced by Inter Milan forward Ange Yoan-Bonny, with Manchester United’s Amad Diallo scoring a 90th-minute winner.
FIFA did not respond when asked if it was aware of Wahi’s arrest prior to the striker playing on Sunday or whether the arrest would affect Wahi’s eligibility to play or to travel.
Wahi is due to travel to Canada for the Ivory Coast’s match in Toronto on Saturday against Group E leaders Germany. Canada this week denied entry to Ghana’s Thomas Partey for reasons related to rape charges against him in the UK, which he strongly denies.
Born on the outskirts of Paris in 2003, Wahi originally spent time at the Caen academy before breaking into Ligue 1 with Montpellier in the 2020-21 season. He subsequently played for fellow French sides Lens and Marseille before joining Bundesliga team Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of last season.
After a goalless first half of the season in Germany, he joined Nice on loan in January, helping keep the club in Ligue 1 with five goals in 14 league appearances.
March 30, 2026
Tony Bloom turned gambling into a business before taking on Cheltenham
While the 51-year-old tends to keep a low profile where possible, this football fan with a keen eye for a bet has turned his teenage hobby into a reported billion euro success story.
Bloom’s horse Poniros is one to watch at this year's Champion Hurdle race at Cheltenham.
At 5 years old, he already has a place in the history books at the festival, romping home at odds of 100-1 in the Triumph last year.
From his humble beginnings at the arcades and bookmakers of Brighton to making millions through the Asian gambling market, taking in the professional poker tables on the world stage and moving into the boardroom of his hometown club, Bloom's reputation of being a winner in an industry of chance seems unmatched.
The Lizard, a nickname Bloom picked up while on the poker circuit, has a number of high profile finishes on the world tour, including a fourth place in the 2005 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, a second place finish at the Poker Million XI event in London in 2010 and he was part of the winning British team at the Poker Nations Cup in 2006.
His talents got noticed in the early 90s after ditching a job as a trader to become a professional gambler, where he caught the eye of bookmaker Victor Chandler, who later went on to become BetVictor.
In the late 90s Chandler introduced Bloom to the Asian market and their handicap system, a system that would see the Lizard bank millions. Bloom then went out on his own setting up a number of online gambling sites during the 2000s, taking time out from professional gambling to play against the world's elite in poker.
Such was his talent at the game, people said he must have been cold-blooded to make such cool decisions, and hence the Lizard was born.
In 2006 the professional gambler set up Starlizard, and although mystery surrounds why he is not named as a director, many speculate that the consultancy agency operates mainly as a gambling advisory to his exclusive gambling syndicate, which was set up around the same time.
Britain’s greatest gambler, as he has been referred to in the past, is reported to use the Asian handicap system to place his bets and it's said he asks for a £2m stake from potential clients to use his services. Using the proprietary odds created by Starlizard, along with his connections, Bloom and his syndicate can make smart high stakes bets, mostly on football matches, across Asia.
Bloom manages to keep his business shrouded in mystery as all of his employees are made to sign strict nondisclosure agreements when they commence working with Starlizard. Some former employees, however, did speak anonymously to Business Insider, where they revealed how the firm operates.
It would seem that people who join the company get the standard market wage for the role they take on, but are incentivised to stay with Starlizard by being offered a share in the firm's winnings.
One former employee told the publication that after overcoming probation employees get the chance to share in the winnings of one of the most successful bettors in the world.
Payments are made twice a year, with employees benefiting to the tune of less than £100 and up to £500k every six months. The amount you receive depends on the number of "stars" you have, or the size of your stake.
Most of the staff who join the syndicate do so for free, with their percentage of the winnings looked on as a bonus. One former employee said: "You could quite easily be getting £10,000 every six months – who would turn that down?"
There is a catch, however, with employees expected to top up the pot if the firm loses money. This doesn't happen too often and with a six-month payout scheme, it's is rare that the staff have to dig into their own pockets.
One worker in the industry explained it: "They don’t beat the market all the time, just enough times."
With things going well for the businessman, Bloom bought a 75% stake in his local club Brighton & Hove Albion in 2009, bringing them back to the Premier League in 2016/17 for the first time in 34 years. Such was his ambition for the Seagulls, Bloom pumped £93m into their stadium along the way so they had the grounds suitable for an English top-flight return.
While much of the man's business is a mystery, it will be no surprise to racing fans to see him in the winner's circle once again.
March 24, 2026
Corruption scandal rocks Czech football as police arrest dozens with top-tier clubs involved
The leadership of the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR) called an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee shortly after the story broke. After that, its chairman, David Trunda, confirmed the investigation at a press conference, saying that it is the result of three years of work and that the federation has cooperated in the process "for a long time."
The National Centre against Organised Crime (NCOZ) confirmed to the Czech news agency ČTK that it is carrying out criminal proceedings. According to ČTK, FAČR is currently investigating the matter and will issue a statement once it has established all the necessary information.
"Our department is carrying out criminal proceedings today. The submission of information is reserved for the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Olomouc," said NCOZ spokesman Jaroslav Ibehej.
According to iSport.cz, Europol and Interpol are also involved, and the raids were preceded by a three-year investigation. The website reported that the police action also involved first league and youth matches.
"Since 6:00 a.m., a giant crackdown has been underway, probably the biggest in the history of Czech football," it quoted from a text message sent out by FAČR chairman David Trunda to members of the executive committee.
"The Football Association is the initiator of this case. We have been cooperating with the police for a long time to uncover unfair practices," Trunda explained during his press conference.
According to him, 47 disciplinary proceedings have been initiated. Furthermore, the intervention does not concern anyone from the FAČR leadership. The association has been informing UEFA about its progress from the beginning.
"The focus is especially in Moravia, 99 per cent, which concerns dozens of people."
"This is the result of the cooperation between FAČR and the police of the Czech Republic. The Ethics Committee will today start proceedings with more than 40 players, officials, referees and clubs, including clubs of the highest competition down to the fourth league plus the youth leagues," Trunda wrote, according to iSport.cz.
The FAČR boss was due to attend the induction of former national team player Přemysl Bičovský into the Hall of Fame at 9:00, but excused himself.
Olomouc chief prosecutor Radim Dragoun said several dozen people were detained and searches were carried out at their homes and on other premises, according to the website of the High Public Prosecutor's Office.
The unpleasant affair for the entire Czech football movement comes just a day after the announcement of their Footballer of the Year (Pavel Sulc) and just two days before the men's national team begin the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.
The biggest corruption scandal to date to shake Czech football was back in 2004. Based on police wiretaps, a number of officials, referees, delegates and influential people from the football association were punished. The protagonist of the affair was former Zizkov manager Ivan Horník.
According to iSport.cz, the current police investigation is primarily focussed in Moravia, concerning first division and youth matches. The news source stated that one of the suspects is Jan Wolf, the mayor of Karviná, who owns the first league club, and the player Samuel Sigut, as well as a professional referee. A city spokeswoman said there was no intervention at City Hall. Wolf was not answering his phone for comment.
Representatives of clubs from the first league and lower competitions, which ČTK contacted in the regions today, had no information about the police raid due to betting this morning. This concerns first league clubs Olomouc, Ostrava, Zlin, Slovacko and Mlada Boleslav, as well as Prostejov, Kromeriz and the Brno clubs Artis and Zbrojovka, which play in the second division.
The football club FC Zlinsko in Otrokovice, which focuses on the development of youth players, has also appeared in the media in connection with the case. Both the club's chief operating officer, Rostislav Zálešák, and its managing director, Tomáš Macek, told ČTK that they had no information that police had intervened at the club.
Bets on US-Iran ceasefire show signs of insider knowledge
Eight accounts, all newly created around 21 March, bet a total of nearly $70,000 (£52,000) on there being a ceasefire. They stand to make nearly $820,000 if such a deal is reached before 31 March.
An account that made the same bet was created shortly before the US struck Iran on 28 February. It also placed a winning bet on those strikes, which raised similar questions around insider trading, and so far has bet on nothing else.
The new accounts all appear to have been created late last week, around the time when the US president, Donald Trump, appeared to first double down on war with Iran, then suggest in an after-markets Truth Social post that he was considering “winding down” military operations.
The wallets “definitely [look like] someone with some degree of inside info”, said Ben Yorke, formerly a researcher with CoinTelegraph, now building an AI trading platform called Starchild.
Polymarket accounts are anonymous, and it is extremely difficult to trace the owners of the crypto wallets that laid the bets.
But online crypto watchers and experts suggested that the bets bore the signs of insider trading – both because they bought their positions at market price, and because some of the accounts looked like they could belong to a single investor attempting to conceal their identity by splitting their bet between multiple wallets.
“Typically, when you see wallet-splitting and deliberate attempts to obfuscate identity, it’s one of two scenarios: either a very large investor trying to shield their position from market impact, or insider trading,” said Yorke.
Polymarket’s own rating of the probability of a ceasefire before 31 March increased significantly in the past few days, from 6% on 21 March to 24% by Monday. More than $21m is currently being wagered on this outcome.
Online prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi are rapidly becoming a feature of modern warfare.
Timely bets laid this year suggest insiders may be using them to profit from secret information, such as Trump’s plans to kidnap the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, or the timing of US-Israel attacks on Iran.
Polymarket, whose investors include a venture capital firm owned by Donald Trump Jr, has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny over potentially facilitating war profiteering and insider trading.
A New York Times story recently found that while the company described itself as “News 2.0” – a parallel source of information harnessing the power of prediction markets – its own social media feeds are full of falsehoods.
On several Discord channels devoted to Polymarket, users and automated bots on Monday traded tips on how to monetise the war – including arbitrage between different platforms, and following users with a history of good bets.
One post suggested users wager “YES” on “US x Iran ceasefire by March 31” because three historically profitable traders on the platform had bet “yes”, and a historically unprofitable trader had bet “no”.
Insider knowledge may not be enough to win this particular bet on Polymarket, as it requires both the US and Iran to agree that a ceasefire has been reached.
The rules for settling the bet read: “For the purposes of this market, an ‘official ceasefire agreement’ requires clear public confirmation from both the United States government and the government of Iran that they have agreed to halt military hostilities against one another.”
March 18, 2026
Polymarket bettors tried to make a reporter change his story about Iran missile strike — or else
Polymarket later condemned the harassment and said the conduct violated its rules.
"We've banned the accounts for all involved & will pass their info to the relevant authorities," the company wrote on X.
Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel, wrote this week that the harassment began with emails pressing him to revise a blog post saying a missile hit an area roughly 500 meters from homes in Beit Shemesh, a small city in central Israel.
The initial outreach, written in Hebrew, was polite, Fabian wrote. "Regarding your Times of Israel report that described today's launch as an 'impact' — Beit Shemesh Municipality and MDA (Magen David Adom) later corrected their reports to clarify that what fell was an interceptor fragment, not a full missile," the first email said, referring to an Israeli emergency-response service.
Follow-up messages from others were more insistent. "I have an urgent request regarding the accuracy of your report on the missile attack on March 10. I would really appreciate a response if possible," read one.
Fabian wrote that he stood by the reporting, citing Israeli military information and video of a large explosion that, in his view, was inconsistent with interceptor debris.
What followed, he said, was a pressure campaign that spilled across email, X, Discord, WhatsApp, and backchannel outreach through another journalist.
Fabian described repeated requests to change the wording of his report, which he believed was intended to influence the resolution of a Polymarket market tied to whether Iran struck Israel on that date. He said some messages — which didn't explicitly mention Polymarket, but came from Polymarket users or seemed bizarrely hung up on his blog post — escalated into explicit threats.
uters; Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mar 17, 2026, 8:10 PM EET
Save Saved
The prediction market Polymarket has few guardrails on what people can bet on.
An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe and threaten him into changing a story.
The $9 billion company condemned the threats and said it removed accounts linked to them.
An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe him and threatened to kill him after he reported that an Iranian missile had struck Israel earlier this month.
Polymarket later condemned the harassment and said the conduct violated its rules.
"We've banned the accounts for all involved & will pass their info to the relevant authorities," the company wrote on X.
Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel, wrote this week that the harassment began with emails pressing him to revise a blog post saying a missile hit an area roughly 500 meters from homes in Beit Shemesh, a small city in central Israel.
The initial outreach, written in Hebrew, was polite, Fabian wrote. "Regarding your Times of Israel report that described today's launch as an 'impact' — Beit Shemesh Municipality and MDA (Magen David Adom) later corrected their reports to clarify that what fell was an interceptor fragment, not a full missile," the first email said, referring to an Israeli emergency-response service.
Jack Newsham's face on a gray background.
Follow Jack Newsham
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Follow-up messages from others were more insistent. "I have an urgent request regarding the accuracy of your report on the missile attack on March 10. I would really appreciate a response if possible," read one.
Fabian wrote that he stood by the reporting, citing Israeli military information and video of a large explosion that, in his view, was inconsistent with interceptor debris.
What followed, he said, was a pressure campaign that spilled across email, X, Discord, WhatsApp, and backchannel outreach through another journalist.
Fabian described repeated requests to change the wording of his report, which he believed was intended to influence the resolution of a Polymarket market tied to whether Iran struck Israel on that date. He said some messages — which didn't explicitly mention Polymarket, but came from Polymarket users or seemed bizarrely hung up on his blog post — escalated into explicit threats.
"If you do not correct this by 01:00 Israel time today, March 15, you are bringing upon yourself damage you have never imagined you would suffer," read one.
Fabian wrote that he went to the police and provided evidence.
Polymarklet didn't answer questions from the Times of Israel about the details of the investigation. Representatives for Polymarket didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Advocates for prediction markets have said they encourage honesty by requiring users to put their money where their mouth is. Shayne Coplan, Polymarket's founder, has said that people in the Middle East can use military-strike markets to decide whether they want to sleep near a bomb shelter.
The nitty-gritty details of contracts and how they are resolved can lead to contentious arguments. People on Polymarket who wagered on whether Iran would strike Israel by March 10 still haven't gotten paid, as the contract appears to remain in dispute. Polymarket, which is legally based in Panama, uses a complex, crypto-based process to resolve disagreements.
Fabian isn't the first person to say they were targeted by prediction market users. The NCAA has cited concerns with prediction markets, reporting that 36% of Division I men's basketball players said they had been harassed by "someone with a betting interest."
In January, the organization called for a pause on college sports-related betting prediction market betting until the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the platforms, "implements appropriate regulations."
Polymarket was valued at $9 billion last year and is seeking a $20 billion valuation in talks with investors, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. The company and its competitor, Kalshi, have poured millions of dollars into marketing online, on TV, and in real life, even giving people free groceries in New York City.
The largest chunk of activity on both platforms is betting on sports in a manner that competes with companies like DraftKings, BetMGM, and other traditional sportsbooks. The second-biggest category is speculating on cryptocurrency prices.
Business Insider has previously reported that Polymarket has drawn scrutiny from US lawmakers over concerns about manipulation, insider trading, and the difficulty of investigating crypto-based bets.
ers; Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mar 17, 2026, 8:10 PM EET
Save Saved
The prediction market Polymarket has few guardrails on what people can bet on.
An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe and threaten him into changing a story.
The $9 billion company condemned the threats and said it removed accounts linked to them.
An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe him and threatened to kill him after he reported that an Iranian missile had struck Israel earlier this month.
Polymarket later condemned the harassment and said the conduct violated its rules.
"We've banned the accounts for all involved & will pass their info to the relevant authorities," the company wrote on X.
Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel, wrote this week that the harassment began with emails pressing him to revise a blog post saying a missile hit an area roughly 500 meters from homes in Beit Shemesh, a small city in central Israel.
The initial outreach, written in Hebrew, was polite, Fabian wrote. "Regarding your Times of Israel report that described today's launch as an 'impact' — Beit Shemesh Municipality and MDA (Magen David Adom) later corrected their reports to clarify that what fell was an interceptor fragment, not a full missile," the first email said, referring to an Israeli emergency-response service.
Jack Newsham's face on a gray background.
Follow Jack Newsham
Every time Jack publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Follow-up messages from others were more insistent. "I have an urgent request regarding the accuracy of your report on the missile attack on March 10. I would really appreciate a response if possible," read one.
Fabian wrote that he stood by the reporting, citing Israeli military information and video of a large explosion that, in his view, was inconsistent with interceptor debris.
What followed, he said, was a pressure campaign that spilled across email, X, Discord, WhatsApp, and backchannel outreach through another journalist.
Fabian described repeated requests to change the wording of his report, which he believed was intended to influence the resolution of a Polymarket market tied to whether Iran struck Israel on that date. He said some messages — which didn't explicitly mention Polymarket, but came from Polymarket users or seemed bizarrely hung up on his blog post — escalated into explicit threats.
"If you do not correct this by 01:00 Israel time today, March 15, you are bringing upon yourself damage you have never imagined you would suffer," read one.
Fabian wrote that he went to the police and provided evidence.
Polymarklet didn't answer questions from the Times of Israel about the details of the investigation. Representatives for Polymarket didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Advocates for prediction markets have said they encourage honesty by requiring users to put their money where their mouth is. Shayne Coplan, Polymarket's founder, has said that people in the Middle East can use military-strike markets to decide whether they want to sleep near a bomb shelter.
The nitty-gritty details of contracts and how they are resolved can lead to contentious arguments. People on Polymarket who wagered on whether Iran would strike Israel by March 10 still haven't gotten paid, as the contract appears to remain in dispute. Polymarket, which is legally based in Panama, uses a complex, crypto-based process to resolve disagreements.
Fabian isn't the first person to say they were targeted by prediction market users. The NCAA has cited concerns with prediction markets, reporting that 36% of Division I men's basketball players said they had been harassed by "someone with a betting interest."
In January, the organization called for a pause on college sports-related betting prediction market betting until the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the platforms, "implements appropriate regulations."
Polymarket was valued at $9 billion last year and is seeking a $20 billion valuation in talks with investors, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. The company and its competitor, Kalshi, have poured millions of dollars into marketing online, on TV, and in real life, even giving people free groceries in New York City.
The largest chunk of activity on both platforms is betting on sports in a manner that competes with companies like DraftKings, BetMGM, and other traditional sportsbooks. The second-biggest category is speculating on cryptocurrency prices.
Business Insider has previously reported that Polymarket has drawn scrutiny from US lawmakers over concerns about manipulation, insider trading, and the difficulty of investigating crypto-based bets.
Sen. Chris Murphy and Rep. Greg Casar announced Tuesday that they will introduce the "Bets Off Act," which would ban certain prediction market trades, including terrorism, war, and assassinations.
The attacks on Iran are only one of several geopolitical flashpoints that have been accompanied by concern about the prospect of people with insider information cashing in. One Polymarket user made several hundred thousand dollars correctly betting on the US operation to remove Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro.