People wager on potential Democratic presidential candidates on the predictions market site Polymarket on Feb. 25, 2026.

Arrests for betting on the U.S. military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Death threats from gamblers to a journalist reporting on an Iranian missile attack on Israel. Fears of government officials manipulating world events – including the Iran war – to make a quick buck.

These are some of many concerns that experts have raised about how prediction markets – online marketplaces that allow people to bet on world events – might be affecting national security in the U.S. and abroad.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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