People were placing bets on whether U.S. pilots would survive.

Not on a game. Not on politics. On human lives.

After an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran, with one service member still missing at the time, Polymarket allowed users to wager on when the pilots would be rescued, while rescue efforts were still underway.

This should never have happened.

These are real people—service members risking their lives, with families waiting for answers. Turning that uncertainty into a betting market is not just inappropriate, it is deeply unethical.

Polymarket has since removed the market and issued an apology. But reports indicate that similar war-related bets remain active.

That means this wasn’t just a one-time mistake. It’s a system that allowed it in the first place.

An apology is not enough.

We are calling on Congress, federal regulators, and platforms like Polymarket to immediately ban betting markets tied to human lives, active military operations, and life-and-death situations.

No company should profit from whether someone lives or dies.

There must be clear rules. There must be accountability. And this must never happen again.