‘Abhorrent’: the inside story of the Polymarket gamblers betting millions on war

A Guardian investigation reveals how the prediction market can shape news – and how it rules on ‘the truth’

The Guardian
This is becoming the kind of "VC platform for online war investments".
You:
1. Plan
2. Bet
3. Invest money upfront
4. Execute
5. Redeem your profits
Could you explain what do you mean? What's the plan and execution here? Planning and executing invasion? If so, there are much better markets than polymarket for making such bets.

I understood the argument like this: If there is a bet going that a war doesn't start, and you're able to start said war... Then everyone betting on the war not starting is effectively providing venture capital funds for you to start that war.

So if eg. 20 mil is bet on it not starting, the actor holding the proverbial trigger only needs to "invest" sufficient funds to drain the bet and then capitalize on it by pulling the trigger, everyone being against it would've effectively invested into the war

The analogy breaks apart at VC, because they're expecting payout after successful funding, which this doesn't provide.

I think it's more like Kickstarter/crowdfunding for wars. Just as fucked up though