A Polymarket bettor won a huge online bet placed hours before Nicolás Maduro was captured in Venezuela. CBS News' Jo Ling Kent reports.

An anonymous bettor on the prediction market site Polymarket won more than $400,000 after placing a $32,000 wager that former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be out of power by January 31. The bet was made hours before news broke of a U.S. military operation that resulted in Maduro's capture, prompting questions about potential insider knowledge and the use of classified information.

Experts note that the trade has characteristics of insider trading, though no public evidence has confirmed this. Regulatory agencies and Polymarket have not commented, and the identity of the bettor remains unknown due to the use of cryptocurrency. The incident highlights concerns about prediction markets and their intersection with national security.

Polymarket bettor wins over $400,000 on Maduro capture

A more than $400,000 mystery has been uncovered following the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Just hours before news actually broke of the military operation, an anonymous user on a prediction market placed a significant bet that Maduro would be out of power by the end of the month. The perfectly timed wager is raising questions about possible insider knowledge with national security implications. Senior business and technology correspondent Jolyn Kent has more on this story. The night before the U.S. military captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, somebody, somewhere placed an extremely well-timed bet. An anonymous user on the prediction market site Polymarket, where users can wager on nearly any topic, bet $32,000 that the Venezuelan president would be out of power by January 31st. The following morning at 4.21 a.m. Eastern, the president announced Maduro was in custody. And that user cashed out, making more than $400,000. These markets are the wildest of the Wild West. Lawyer Dennis Kelleher focuses on regulation of securities and financial markets. He's the president of Better Markets. What evidence is there that this was non-public information being used to make this bet? The facts are not known publicly yet. However, this particular trade really has all the hallmarks of an insider trade. Polymarket and its competitors, like Kelshi, have recently exploded in popularity. Millions of users place bets on current events, pop culture, and now national security issues. If this was insider information, it means that somebody used the most highly classified, confidential military secrets and information of the United States to place a bet, actually putting the entire operation potentially at risk. Polymarket did not respond to our multiple requests for comment. Last year, before it gained regulatory approval in the U.S., and well before Maduro was captured, Polymarket CEO Shane Copeland sat down with 60 Minutes. But predictive markets do rely on someone having some inside information. Yeah, I think that people going and having an edge to the market is a good thing. Obviously, you need to curate them and you need to be really clear and stringent on where the line is drawn and like sort of ethics, and we spend a lot of time on that. In the meantime, users can already bet on the next U.S. military operation. Polymarket offers markets on another U.S. strike on Venezuela, meaning there's money to be made by those in the know. That's the only reason that this is a story and a real problem because it happens to involve highly, highly classified information. Now, experts tell us the user who cashed out will remain anonymous unless Polymarket discloses the identity of this better, and that's because their bet was placed using cryptocurrency. The Commodities Future Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates prediction markets, did not respond to our requests for comment. The FBI said it, quote, declines to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.

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Venezuela Strikes

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Minneapolis

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The U.S. seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was being shadowed by a Russian submarine on Wednesday (Jan. 7), after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic as part of a U.S. "blockade" of Venezuelan oil exports.

U.S. seizes Venezuela-linked oil tanker after weeks-long pursuit

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Nuuk

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London

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Jerusalem

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed deep concern over recent U.S. military action in Venezuela, calling for the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Soweto

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At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that started in the bazaar of Tehran over the plunging value of the currency and soaring inflation, according to rights groups. This video contains graphic images.

Rights groups say at least 25 dead in Iran protests

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New York

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Manhattan

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A Paris ​court on Monday found ten people guilty ⁠of the cyber-harassment of France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, for spreading false claims she is a transgender ​woman who was born a man. The court convicted all defendants to sentences ranging from a cyberbullying awareness training to 8-month suspended prison sentences.

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is set to appear in a U.S. court on Monday (January 5) on drug charges after his controversial capture by American forces. President Donald Trump says he could order another strike if Venezuela’s interim government doesn’t cooperate.

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Breakdown