As survivors flee wildfires, online gamblers are wagering how far the flames will spread—and how much destruction they’ll cause.
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Gamblers Are Betting Millions of Dollars on California Wildfires
As prediction markets boom and a new wildfire season begins, fire survivors and ethicists say that the betting encourages and rewards callous thinking—and dangerous behavior, too.
June 30, 20262:57 PM
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
The platform, called Wyldfyre, claims it will "harness the wisdom of crowds" to improve wildfire forecasting. Experts argue that…
Forget for a moment that it’s morally disgusting to let people bet on wildfires; people have already spent $1.2 million doing it.…
Polymarket and Kalshi are less regulated than betting sites, but users can win or lose large sums on the platforms
While some people are dying of hantavirus, others are betting on it. Are our empathy meters broken?
Prediction markets, which allow wagers on almost anything in politics, business or culture, takes betting to a new level. They're…
Experts warn that although prediction markets are not regulated as gambling platforms, they are just as addictive
