[1]https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-based-betting-platform-aug
   ur-now-features-assassination-markets
   By

   [2]Helen Partz

   So-called “assassination markets” have now popped up on blockchain
   event betting platform Augur, [3]Mashable media outlet reported July
   24. Users are now betting on when certain public figures will die.

   Created by the non-profit [4]Forecast Foundation,
   Augur [5]launched its [6]Ethereum (ETH) mainnet-powered predictions
   platform on July 9, according to [7]Fortune. On the platform, users can
   make a prediction about the outcome of any event.

   If a user believes the outcome will happen, they buy shares with ETH.
   If a user believes the event will not occur, they can short the bet by
   selling shares. In either case, should a user’s prediction come true,
   they can profit from the result.

   Users have recently posted bets on Augur regarding the deaths of a
   number of public figures, such as the [8]U.S. president [9]Donald
   Trump and CEO at Berkshire Hathaway [10]Warren Buffett. The bet "Will
   Donald Trump (President of The USA) be killed at any point during
   2018," has acquired 50.3 shares as of July 23.

   This is not the first example of an assassination market. Back in 2013,
   an online market was created where users [11]set out to fund the
   assassinations of Ben Bernanke and American president Barack Obama.
   While the current markets on Augur merely place a bet on whether such
   an event will happen, should the wager be high enough it could still
   create an incentive for someone to carry out the crime.
   Users on the Augur subreddit have [12]suggested that something be done
   about assassination markets, but given the decentralized nature of the
   platform, "no one person can single-handedly change Augur or shut it
   down," according to the Augur [13]website.

   To ensure that a bet is settled properly, Augur has created a system of
   “reporters” who state the truthful outcome of a posited event.
   Reporters are essentially holders of Augur’s own REP token.

   In order to report an event, users must stake REP on an event’s correct
   outcome to receive any of the settlement fees. If REP holders
   incorrectly report a result, they lose their tokens. If they do not
   participate in a ‘fork,’ or a highly disputed outcome to an event, they
   lose five percent of their REP. Passive holders of REP who do not
   participate in the bet settlement process are also penalized.

   REP is trading at $30.16 at press time, having hit its peak of over
   $107 in January 2018 according to [14]Coinmarketcap.

References

   1. https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-based-betting-platform-augur-now-features-assassination-markets
   2. https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-based-betting-platform-augur-now-features-assassination-markets
   3. https://mashable.com/2018/07/24/augur-ethereum-blockchain-assassination-market/#OFWLYFF5VOqw
   4. https://www.augur.net/foundation/
   5. http://fortune.com/2018/07/09/augur-coin-crypto-rep-vitalik-buterin/
   6. https://cointelegraph.com/ethereum-price-index
   7. http://fortune.com/2018/07/09/augur-coin-crypto-rep-vitalik-buterin/
   8. https://cointelegraph.com/tags/usa
   9. https://cointelegraph.com/tags/donald-trump
  10. https://cointelegraph.com/tags/warren-buffett
  11. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/11/18/meet-the-assassination-market-creator-whos-crowdfunding-murder-with-bitcoins/#2c23a5b33d9b
  12. https://www.reddit.com/r/Augur/comments/91a54w/what_to_do_about_assassination_markets/
  13. https://www.augur.net/
  14. https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/augur/