(AsiaGameHub) – 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 these allegations during his court appearance on Monday, following his indictment in February. He is accused of providing classified information about the timing of Israeli military operations to an accomplice, who then placed bets on Polymarket.
In February, Israeli authorities confirmed that several military personnel had been arrested on suspicion of using confidential information to place bets on Polymarket. The Attorney General’s office subsequently decided to press criminal charges against two individuals: the officer now before the court and his civilian accomplice.
Beyond asserting that gambling on prediction markets is widespread within the military, the officer’s defense team stated that he has made significant contributions to the security of the state. His lawyers also contend that the investigation was improperly conducted and resulted in security violations.
“We are confident that once these facts are presented, the case will conclude very differently from how it began,” said the defense attorneys, Ran Cohen Rochverger and Naor Alon Sosnosky.
Nevertheless, a judge denied the officer’s request for release under house arrest, and he remains in custody as the investigation continues.
Serious Wrongful Acts Ignored Consequences, Says Judge
The prosecution maintains that the officer’s willingness to sell information for financial gain put IAF pilots and military operations at risk.
“This is not merely a ‘gambling story’ but a serious account of wrongful acts committed out of a pursuit of excitement and greed for profit, while completely disregarding their consequences and the most basic moral and ethical standards,” stated the presiding judge.
According to the court, claims that betting on prediction markets is widespread in the military are irrelevant to this specific case; however, a separate inquiry will be launched to verify those allegations.
Following the officer’s arrest, there have been renewed concerns about insider trading involving conflicts in the Middle East. A U.S. soldier was also arrested for using his position to bet on the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
Accomplice Named as More Details Emerge
Some details regarding the case were disclosed in March, including the alleged Polymarket account used to place the wagers. Last week, further information surfaced, notably identifying the officer’s accomplice as Omer Ziv. The officer’s identity has not been revealed due to potential security risks, according to the court.
The pair reportedly met while employed at a gaming technology company. According to The Guardian, Ziv spent eight years working as an affiliate marketing manager in the online gambling industry.
Prosecutors assert that Ziv first became interested in the market question—“Will Israel conduct military action against Iran before July?”—on Polymarket back in June of last year. He then brought the opportunity to the attention of the officer, and they allegedly agreed that the officer would share confidential intelligence about impending military actions, while Ziv would use his own funds to place bets across multiple newly created Polymarket accounts.
Keep Quiet, ‘So We Don’t Go To Jail’
On June 12, prosecutors claim the officer was briefed on Operation Roaring Lion, an Israeli military strike against Iran, and shared those details with Ziv via WhatsApp.
Ziv is accused of passing this information along to others. In a group chat message, he reportedly informed five friends about the attack but warned them to keep quiet “so we don’t go to jail.”
While the specifics of the officer’s role in the military and his involvement in the operation remain subject to a court-imposed gag order, he is described as a senior-ranking official.
After the June wagers, the duo allegedly reconnected in September to place bets on Israeli strikes targeting Yemen.
Then, in January of this year, the officer sent messages to Ziv indicating that tensions were escalating and that strikes on Iran were imminent. Ziv again placed bets on these events at Polymarket, but his account was flagged online.
Alarmed by the flagging, Ziv canceled his positions and changed his usernames, prosecutors allege. The pair allegedly deleted WhatsApp messages and erased photos, fearing detection by investigators, according to the indictment.
Despite ongoing controversy over markets tied to conflict and military operations, Polymarket continues to promote wagering on wars.
In response to high-profile cases of insider trading, U.S. lawmakers have called for stricter regulations for such markets, and several bills have been introduced to explicitly ban trading related to war and death.
The Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) already empowers the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to suspend markets connected to war if they are deemed contrary to the public interest.
The agency has also launched an investigation into the case involving the U.S. soldier who traded on the capture of Maduro but has not issued any public statements about the Israeli war-related markets.
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