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Polymarket shelves nuclear detonation markets after outcry

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(Polymarket)

Bettors have long been able to speculate on the chance of a nuclear weapon detonating on Polymarket, but the current conflict with Iran – and scrutiny about insiders trading on war – has apparently caused the platform to remove the contracts.

The markets, which asked users to assign probabilities to whether a nuclear weapon would detonate by specific dates, have circulated on Polymarket for years and historically have resolved to “No.”

But renewed attention to the contracts comes as prediction markets face criticism after a trader reportedly made more than $400,000 betting on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s ouster shortly before the U.S. operation that led to his capture, raising questions about whether insiders could exploit the platforms to trade on the outbreak of war – such as the start of this current conflict with Iran – and other military actions.

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Historical trading suggests the contracts occasionally priced meaningful risk.

A Polymarket contract in 2023 at one point implied roughly a 19% chance that a nuclear weapon would detonate before the end of the year, according to platform data.

(Polymarket)
(Polymarket)

A later market expiring in June 2025 traded near 12%.

The markets also attracted significant trading activity. The 2025 contract alone recorded more than $1.7 Million in volume, while the 2023 version drew nearly $700,000 in wagers.

All this comes as U.S. regulators consider how to oversee prediction markets.

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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed rules in 2024 that would bar exchanges it regulates from listing event contracts tied to war, terrorism, assassination, or other activities deemed contrary to the public interest.

Chairman Mike Selig said the Commission plans to issue clearer guidance on prediction markets in the near future.

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Crypto World

X Targets Undisclosed AI Conflict Videos With Revenue Ban

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X Targets Undisclosed AI Conflict Videos With Revenue Ban

Social media platform X will suspend creators from its revenue-sharing program for 90 days if they post AI-generated war footage without clearly disclosing that the content was created using artificial intelligence.

On Wednesday, X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, said the rule aims to maintain “authenticity of content on Timeline” during wartime events, when misleading media can spread quickly.

“During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground,” Bier wrote. “With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people.”

Related: Bitcoin holders show ‘zero panic‘ as BTC hits $70K amid Middle East tensions

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The move adds financial penalties to X’s existing moderation tools, linking disclosure of AI-generated media to monetization eligibility. 

Source: Nikita Bier

Monetization enforcement tied to AI disclosure

Unlike traditional moderation measures such as labels or removals, the new rule targets the platform’s creator economy by restricting access to revenue-sharing for policy violations.

X said creators who publish AI-generated conflict footage must clearly disclose that the content was created with artificial intelligence. Failure to do so could lead to a 90-day suspension from the program.

Related: 6 Polymarket traders net $1M on US-Iran strike, spark insider fears: Report

Under the update, posts flagged by Community Notes or detected through metadata or other signals from generative AI tools may trigger enforcement.

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Accounts that repeatedly post undisclosed AI-generated conflict videos may face permanent removal from X’s creator revenue-sharing program. 

The policy applies specifically to videos depicting armed conflicts and does not amount to a broader ban on AI-generated content posted to the platform.

Middle East conflict raises misinformation concerns

The announcement comes as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to dominate online discussions across social media platforms.

On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran. Bitcoin (BTC) briefly dropped to about $63,000 but later recovered. At the time of writing, it traded near $70,000, according to CoinGecko.

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AI is also becoming more deeply embedded in modern conflict environments. On March 1, the US military used Anthropic’s Claude AI model to assist with intelligence analysis and targeting during operations linked to the Iran strikes.