The Israeli Air Force (IAF) officer indicted for wagering on military actions at Polymarket has claimed that “everyone in the force” gambles on similar platforms.
The officer made the allegations when appearing in court on Monday after being indicted in February. He has been accused of feeding classified information about the timing of Israeli military actions to an accomplice who then placed wagers on Polymarket.
In February, Israeli authorities confirmed that several military personnel were arrested over allegations they used confidential information to place bets at Polymarket. The Attorney General’s office decided to proceed with criminal charges against two men, the officer who is now appearing in court and his civilian accomplice.
In addition to claiming the practice of wagering at prediction markets is widespread in the military, the officer’s defense team said he has made “significant contributions to the security of the state.” His lawyers also allege that the investigation has been improperly conducted, resulting in security violations.
“We are convinced that after these are presented, the case will end in a completely different way than when it was opened,” lawyers Ran Cohen Rochverger and Naor Alon Sosnosky said.
A judge, however, denied the officer’s petition for release on house arrest. He remains detained as the investigation continues.
Serious Wrongful Acts Ignored Consequences, Says Judge
The prosecution alleges that the officer’s willingness to “sell information for financial benefits” put IAF pilots and operations at risk.
“This is not just a ‘gambling story,’ but a serious treatise of wrongful acts committed out of a pursuit of excitement and lust for financial gain, while completely ignoring their consequences and the most basic moral and ethical norms,” said the judge in charge of the case.
According to the court, the claims that gambling on prediction markets is endemic in the military are not relevant to this case. However, a separate investigation is due to be conducted to verify the allegations.
Following the officer’s arrest, there have been further suspicions of insider trading on conflicts in the Middle East. A US soldier has also been arrested for using his position to wager on the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
Accomplice Named as More Details Emerge
Some details of the case were revealed in March, including the alleged Polymarket account used to place the bets. Last week, further information emerged, including the name of the officer’s accomplice, Omer Ziv. The officer’s identity has not been revealed as doing so would pose a security risk, according to the court.
The pair allegedly met while working at a gaming tech company. The Guardian reported that Ziv worked as an affiliate marketing manager in the online gambling industry for eight years.
Prosecutors claim Ziv first became intrigued by the market question, “Israeli military action against Iran before July?” on Polymarket in June last year.
He then brought the market to the officer’s attention. The pair allegedly agreed that the officer would share confidential information about the timing of military action. Ziv, meanwhile, would place bets using his own funds across multiple newly created Polymarket accounts.
Keep Quiet, ‘So We Don’t Go To Jail’
On June 12, prosecutors say that the officer was briefed on “Operation Roaring Lion,” an Israeli military action against Iran. He shared the details with Ziv over WhatsApp.
Ziv is accused of feeding that information to others. In a message to a group chat, he allegedly told five friends about the military strike, but warned them to keep quiet, “so we don’t go to jail.”
The details of the officer’s position in the military and his role in the operation remain under a court gag order, but he is said to be a senior-ranked official.
Following the wagers in June, the two men allegedly reconnected in September to place bets on Israeli strikes on Yemen.
Then, in January this year, the officer sent messages to Ziv that tensions were “heating up” and believed strikes on Iran were imminent. Ziv again wagered on the actions at Polymarket, but his account was flagged online.
Alarmed, Ziv canceled positions and changed usernames, prosecutors allege. The pair deleted WhatsApp messages and wiped photos, fearing an investigation, according to the indictment.
Despite the controversy over markets on conflict and military actions, Polymarket continues to promote wagering on wars.
In response to high-profile insider trading cases, US lawmakers have called for stricter rules for these markets, and several bills have been introduced to explicitly prohibit trading on war and death.
The Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) already allows the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to suspend markets related to war if they are not in the public interest.
The agency also launched an investigation into the case of the US soldier trading on the capture of Maduro, but has not spoken publicly about the Israeli war markets.
