Hegseth bans Pentagon staff from betting on secret military operations

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has barred Department of Defense personnel from using non-public information to bet on US military operations, a directive that explicitly covers prediction markets including Polymarket and Kalshi. The decision was reported by CBS News and relayed by Agipronews.

The directive was issued in a memorandum sent to Pentagon leaders. According to the document, anomalous betting flows on certain events could allow foreign intelligence services to infer operations and movements of the US armed forces, putting military personnel at risk.

Violations of the directive may lead to disciplinary or criminal sanctions under federal law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the report.

The decision follows a case that emerged in April, when a member of the US special forces was arrested for betting on Polymarket on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro before the US military operation was made public.