Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, N.Y. on Jan. 5, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
A soldier for U.S. special forces has been arrested for winning a $400,000 bet that former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would be out of power by January.
CNN reported on Thursday that the soldier opened an account on Polymarket, which allows people to make bets on nearly anything, and placed a $32,000 bet on Maduro's capture. Law enforcement noticed the long-shot bet right away, according to CNN.
U.S. military forces covertly raided Maduro's presidential palace in early January, leading to his extradition to New York on drug charges that he denies. Unknown gamblers have been creating accounts on prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi and winning big ahead of events like U.S. strikes in Iran.
