Polymarket let users bet on wildfires. Lawmakers warn that could spur arson.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, expressed concern about prediction markets allowing wagers on wildfire outcomes, stating "you never want to encourage the obscene act of starting a fire." Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market platform, has enabled users to place bets on whether specific wildfires will spread or be contained. Merkley and other lawmakers have raised questions about whether financial incentives tied to wildfire outcomes could increase arson risk. The platform has faced scrutiny over the practice, though no specific incidents linking prediction market bets to arson have been documented.

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