U.S. defense bill proposes to prohibit military personnel to place bets on prediction markets
02 Jun 2026
A new draft of the U.S. defense policy bill proposes to prohibit military personnel and Pentagon civilian employees from trading in prediction markets using non-public information.
The provision, included in the bill released by the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, mandates the Secretary of Defense to establish regulations and penalties for violations.
This initiative follows allegations that a U.S. Special Forces soldier used classified information to profit $400,000 from a bet on Venezuelan President Maduro’s arrest on Polymarket. The draft may undergo changes during the legislative process, but if enacted, violators could face criminal penalties under military law.