A Times of Israel correspondent has alleged that online bettors tried to coerce him into changing his report
Online gamblers reportedly linked to the prediction platform Polymarket allegedly issued death threats to an Israeli journalist in an attempt to force him to change a story about an Iranian missile strike on Israel.
Following his report on March 10 that an Iranian missile had fallen on open ground outside Jerusalem without causing casualties, Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian received messages demanding he change his account to suggest that the missile had been intercepted and debris had fallen.
Betting on Polymarket, which allows users to wager on political and current events, has become popular in Israel amid tighter censorship in the country since the start of the war with Iran. Israel has banned live broadcasts showing city skylines during Iranian missile attacks, images identifying strike locations, and other content deemed a security threat. As a result, winning or losing bets depends on media reports.
Fabian, who shared the developments via the Times of Israel earlier this week, said he began receiving a series of emails and WhatsApp messages from multiple individuals soon after publishing his report. He traced the pressure to Polymarket users betting on whether Iran would strike Israel on specific days, with more than $14 million reportedly wagered on March 10 and the outcome tied to media coverage.
”After you make us lose $900,000, we will invest no less than that to finish you,” one of the messages allegedly received by Fabian reads. Threats also referenced personal details, including his neighborhood and family members, according to the journalist.
Fabian said the threatening messages continued even after he contacted the police. The authorities have not announced any arrests related to the matter.
Commenting on the Times of Israel report, Polymarket condemned the “harassment and threats,” stressing that the accounts of those deemed responsible have been blocked, and that the company is cooperating with the authorities.
The US-based Polymarket has faced controversy before. Israeli authorities last year charged a military reservist and a civilian with using classified information to place bets on the platform ahead of Israel’s attack on Iran, allegedly winning about $150,000.
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