Crypto prediction market platform Polymarket has emerged as a prime venue to watch live bets on current news events. This week's arrest and eventual release of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, however, moved much swifter than anticipated – leaving some crypto gamblers to lose $270,000 in missed gambling winnings, according to CoinDesk.

On August 28, French authorities released Durov early after the Telegram CEO posted a $5.6 million bond. The surprise move ensured that Polymarket bets ended early, and not in favor of most crypto gamblers, who had assumed Durov would be held longer.

While crypto bettors have lost that gamble, nearly $200,000 has now been bet on whether Telegram CEO Durov will leave France by September 15. The terms of Durov's bond in France require him to stay in the European country, but the CEO also holds citizenship from the United Arab Emirates, which is unlikely to extradite Durov if he does flee.

At the time of writing, the majority of bets on Polymarket believe Durov is likely to honor the terms of his release and stay in France. However, one user commented, "Durov has strong support, sitting in France is not an option for him. In a week, the case will be closed and he will fly to Dubai."

Crypto gamblers were also livid recently when independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. withdrew from the race, effectively ending a more than $9 million Polymarket bet on whether RFK Jr. would drop out. Kennedy had significant interest from the crypto community – he vocally supported bitcoin almost a year before former president Donald Trump and during the 2023 Bitcoin Conference, Kennedy pledged to create a strategic bitcoin reserve and place "the entire U.S. budget on blockchain.”

But users on Polymarket focused on whether Kennedy had ended his campaign or merely suspended it, as this would impact their winnings. To make things even more confusing, Kennedy told supporters: "I’m not terminating my campaign, I’m simply suspending it" last Friday.

One user on Polymarket urged others to continue disputing the results: "Just a reminder to everyone to not claim your no winnings and join the discord about the upcoming lawsuit."