FBI raids home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan

The election-betting platform had gained attention for putting Trump's odds much higher than those of Harris

Published November 14, 2024 1:42PM (EST)

A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

FBI agents on Wednesday raided the home of Shayne Coplan, founder and CEO of the election-betting platform Polymarket.

Agents seized Coplan's phone and electronics at his home in New York City, Polymarket said. The company is under investigation for allegedly allowing U.S.-based users to bet, Bloomberg reported

Polymarket users can buy and sell shares to predict everything from election results to whether TikTok will be banned. The platform is popular with the cryptocurrency community. It has only been available to people outside the U.S., but Coplan told CNBC after the election that he hoped to expand.

The site gained attention in recent weeks after bettors put Trump's odds of winning the Nov. 5 presidential election sharply higher than those of Vice President Kamala Harris, despite opinion polls that showed a much closer race. A French trader reportedly won nearly $50 million after predicting Trump would win the popular vote, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Polymarket said the FBI raid was "obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election." 

Coplan had not been arrested or taken into custody, the company told Reuters. 

The FBI has declined comment. 

 

 

 


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