As the Palisades and Eaton fires scorched Los Angeles communities, destroying more than 11,000 homes and upending people’s lives, users placed bets on questions including: “How many acres will the Palisades wildfire burn in total?” According to an Aug. 3 letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman, nine U.S. senators are demanding that “guardrails” be put in place to prevent people from profiting from wildfires and other deadly disasters. In a statement to NBC Los Angeles, Polymarket said that when tragedies strike, “people turn to news for commentary, and they come to Polymarket for information.”