Ethicast Reacts: How a Google Engineer Made $1M on Polymarket (And How the CFTC Caught Him)

A Google information security engineer with access to hte company’s internal search trends data allegedly used that data to play 23 Polymarket bets—and won 22 of them, netting nearly $1 million. His handle was AlphaRaccoon. The CFTC and DOJ aren’t laughing.  

In this episode of Ethicast Reacts, host Bill Coffin and Ethisphere Chief Strategy Officer Erica Salmon Byrne break down the charges (commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering) and what the case reveals about a risk most ethics and compliance teams haven’t fully mapped yet. This is fourth prediction market episode of Ethicast Reacts in 2026. It won’t be the last.