By Steve Murdoch
October 10, 2029
I support capital punishment for the most serious crimes and the unquestionably guilty perpetrators. But I also believe there is a right way and a wrong way to put people to death.
Currently, Texas and Alabama are showing the world what the wrong way looks like.
Last month, Texas and Alabama announced partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket to allow users to wager on state executions in a variety of ways. There are bets on when the Supreme Court will weigh in, whether the governor will grant clemency, whether the inmate will speak, and, most morbidly, the time elapsed before they are pronounced dead.
The states are actively promoting this new feature because each is receiving a percentage of the total wagers. While I have no doubt the money will be put to good use, there are clear problems with this arrangement.
For starters, it is hardly a dignified exercise for states to be hyping up what is essentially gambling on someone’s death. But more problematically, state officials have an ability to manipulate outcomes based on trends in the prediction markets.
I have no doubt that people do bet on executions and have been doing it for years. But that does not mean the government gets to sponsor the gambling enterprise. Let these people die in a way that honors the dignity of their victims, and not the spectacle of a casino.
Steve Murdoch is a retired FBI agent living near Dallas.
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