Betting Degeneracy Has Reached World Of Kidnapping And Killing

(Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Prediction market betting has reached the world of kidnapping and killing, and one man is already taking the fall over allegations of insider trading.

Federal law enforcement arrested Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a U.S. special forces soldier, on Thursday for allegedly using classified information to bet on the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which occurred Jan. 3 in Operation Absolute Resolve. Authorities say Van Dyke “participated in the planning and execution of the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro,” which gave him highly valuable nonpublic information. (RELATED: Is Another Foreign Leader About To Be ‘Maduroed?’)

Van Dyke allegedly wagered $33,034 on the prediction market platform Polymarket as to the timing of Maduro’s ouster, making 13 bets between Dec. 27, 2025, and Jan. 26, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). His bets all took the “YES” position on “U.S. Forces in Venezuela . . . by January 31, 2026”; “Maduro out by . . . January 31, 2026”; “Will the U.S. invade Venezuela by . . . January 31,”; or “Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by . . . January 31,” the DOJ........

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