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Polymarket has sparked backlash over a prediction market centered on President Zelenskyy’s clothing choice
Users have accused the platform of poor resolution standards and politicizing a trivial matter after a disagreement about what constitutes a suit
The controversy has intensified debate over the ethics and reliability of decentralized betting platforms

A Polymarket bet on whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would wear a suit during his upcoming U.S. visit has stirred outrage among users, many of whom claim the platform resolved the market unfairly. The dispute centers not only on how “suit” was defined but also on broader concerns around transparency, moderation, and the dignity of political figures amid war. Polymarket ultimately decided Zelenskyy did not wear a suit, leading to complaints from bettors and critics who argue that the platform has crossed a line between novelty prediction and tasteless speculation.

Smart Casual or Just Casual?

The now-closed market, titled “Will Zelenskyy wear a suit during his July 2025 U.S. visit?”, was established following complaints from U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance that the Ukrainian leader wasn’t suitably attired during a previous visit to the White House. Zelenskyy mixed his traditional olive-green military-style clothing with a blazer, which some claimed equated to formal attire. Polymarket, however, decided against this, ruling that the sartorial choice did not equate to a suit.

This sparked a wave of disputes and accusations of arbitrary resolution by Polymarket moderators, with some making it clear just how much Polymarket had cost them:

I lost $20,000 on Polymarket.

And it wasn’t because I made a bad prediction.
It was because oracle system behind Polymarket is fundamentally broken.

This thread:
— How the system works
— 7 real examples of manipulation
— Why the $157M Zelenskyy outfit is another… pic.twitter.com/A87rbjG66m

— Icryptan | Head of Research (@icryptan) July 7, 2025

Others accused Polymarket of behind-the-scenes meddline:

Something really shady is going on with Polymarket right now

The way this “Zelenskyy suit” market is being handled is a total joke. Rules are ignored, whales are coordinating off-chain, and the platform seems either blind or complicit.

UMA is not neutral. This is not about… pic.twitter.com/ovMBtRzBQB

— enmity world (@enmityworld) July 6, 2025

An Appropriate Market?

Beyond discussions of when a suit is not a suit and who gets to decide, the controversy has drawn criticism over the very nature of the market itself. Zelenskyy, who has consistently appeared in military-style dress throughout the war in Ukraine as a symbol of solidarity with troops, was never expected to wear a Western-style business suit. Many users questioned the point of the market, labeling it insensitive, given the topic of the meeting and its importance.

The incident has reopened questions about how decentralized platforms like Polymarket handle subjective markets; without centralized arbitration or clearer standards, users are left relying on ad hoc interpretations of ambiguous outcomes. For some, the incident represents a growing pain for decentralized prediction, while for others, it is a signal that the platform needs reform before it risks losing trust. As one community moderator acknowledged, “This was a borderline case, and we’ll be reviewing our market phrasing and resolution practices going forward.”

The post Polymarket Users Up In Arms Over Zelenskyy Suit Bet appeared first on FullyCrypto.

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ July 10, 2025 8:24 am