Prediction market platform Polymarket launched a three-day pop-up bar called "Monitoring the Situation" in Washington, D.C., last weekend, aiming to combine betting on current events with a social atmosphere. However, the bar's opening night on Friday was marred by significant electrical issues, preventing the advertised news broadcasts, flight trackers, and global data streams from functioning due to a lack of Wi-Fi and television feeds. This forced the venue to close hours early at 9 p.m. for repairs. While the bar partially reopened on Saturday with some functionality restored, it continued to experience technical difficulties, including power outages affecting its numerous screens. The event also highlighted concerns about insider trading on prediction markets, with both Polymarket and Kalshi announcing new bans on users trading on information they might possess or influence, following large payouts to bettors who accurately predicted events like U.S. airstrikes on Iran.