Polymarket Opens Wagering Market on Escaped New Orleans Inmates
Polymarket, the New York-based prediction market platform, has sparked widespread attention by offering odds on the capture of five fugitives still at large following a dramatic prison break in New Orleans on May 16.
Out of the ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility, law enforcement has managed to apprehend five. Attention has now shifted to the remaining fugitives, with Polymarket turning public interest into a speculative betting market.
The prison break made international headlines, particularly due to the unconventional method of escape—through a hole in the wall behind a toilet. Adding to the media frenzy was the taunting graffiti left behind by the escapees, mocking the ease of their breakout with messages like “Too easy LOL.”
By Wednesday evening, Polymarket had launched a betting market on whether all escapees would be recaptured by Friday. Among those still missing, Lenton Vanburen emerged as the favorite to evade police the longest. Meanwhile, Derrick Groves—a convict serving time for two counts of second-degree murder—was seen as the most likely to be apprehended next.
The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office has warned the public against engaging with the escapees, labeling them “armed and dangerous.”
Polymarket’s campaign, branded as “prisoner parlays,” has garnered significant engagement online, with one promotional post achieving over a million views on social media platform X.
Interest in the case has extended into online forums as well. On Reddit, one user expressed confidence in Vanburen’s chances of remaining free, writing, “He will find a way to survive and get away. It’s in his blood.” The user added, “The others are straight up cornballs who will be caught or go out with a bang. My money is on Lenton.”
The betting market has further fueled the media spotlight on what was already a high-profile jailbreak, revealing just how intertwined online speculation and real-world events have become.
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- Source: SCCGManagement.com
