Americans can now bet money on whether someone accused of murder will be found guilty or not guilty via online prediction markets like Polymarket.
This includes major criminal cases, such as the Lindsay Clancy trial and the prosecution of Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing Charlie Kirk.
The practice is raising new concerns for courts, where someone with inside knowledge of a case could potentially profit from a verdict, while others could have a financial incentive to influence jurors or interfere with a trial.
“Having personally gone through a criminal trial myself where my freedom was on the line, I can tell you there’s absolutely nothing entertaining about that experience,” said Cole Goldberg, a national advocate for fair trials and due process, who spent four years fighting a nationally covered case before being found not guilty on all counts.
“You’re fighting for your future, your reputation, your family,” Goldberg said. “This idea that strangers could be making money betting on whether you’re going to prison is incredibly disturbing. These are real lives, not sporting events.”
