Prediction market bettors on Saturday made millions of dollars in minutes by betting on Donald Trump’s military strike on Venezuela. In a post shared on X, one bettor said he made $80,000 overnight using Polymarket by tracking signals tied to US military activity.
The bettor pointed out that the United States had moved its largest aircraft carrier earlier on, which convinced him that a strike on Venezuela was coming. The only unknown was timing, so he built a simple bot to watch Domino’s pizza orders around the Pentagon, a pattern long linked to late-night government work.
The bettor wrote, “The moment the pizza indicator bot spotted an unusual activity, I was alerted on my phone and immediately purchased as many ‘Will the US strike Venezuela’ shares on Polymarket. GG and thanks for playing.”
Bettors rake in millions as Trump confirms strikes on Venezuela
Early hours of the morning, Trump confirmed the strike on Truth Social, saying the United States had carried out a large-scale operation against Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were flown out of the country.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M. at Mar-a-Lago,” said Trump.
By the time Trump spoke, Polymarket positions were already deep in profit. A newly created Polymarket account had invested more than $30,000 in Maduro’s exit from power. After US forces took him into custody overnight, the trader walked away with about $400,000 in under 24 hours.
On prediction markets, insider trading is allowed. Traders openly act on private analysis and public signals tied to geopolitical events involving Venezuela. Prediction markets have recently drawn scrutiny from regulators. Gaming commissions across the United States argue that some platforms act like unlicensed sportsbooks. Sports contracts on Kalshi and Polymarket have grown quickly.
