Hegseth bans troops from betting on military operations with inside information
Pete Hegseth has banned troops and Pentagon staff from using inside facts to bet on military missions, The Washington Post, The Washington Times and CBS News reported. His memo names the betting sites Polymarket and Kalshi. He warned that enemies watch these sites for clues.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned troops and Pentagon staff from using secret or inside facts to bet on US military missions. That is according to The Washington Post, The Washington Times and CBS News.
Hegseth's memo is dated October 20, The Washington Times and CBS News reported. CBS News said it went to senior Pentagon leaders and combatant commanders.
The ban applies whether the information is classified or not, all three outlets reported. The memo names Polymarket and Kalshi, CBS News said. These are prediction markets, sites where people can bet on what will happen in the world.
Hegseth said such bets could put troops and missions at risk. "Our enemies watch movements in these markets," he wrote, according to all three outlets. He said a bet on a military outcome sends "a signal." Foreign spy services could use those signals to guess US movements, targets and timing, he wrote.
People who break the rule could face discipline or criminal charges under military or federal law, The Washington Times and CBS News reported.
Hegseth also called such betting "a dilution of the warrior ethos," The Washington Times reported. "Not entertainment. Not a payout," he wrote.
The order follows the case of an Army Special Forces soldier, Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, CBS News and The Washington Times reported. He is accused of using what he knew about the January mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to bet on Polymarket. CBS News said he bet more than $33,000. He has pleaded not guilty.
An August report from the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, a nonprofit group, found that more than 150 accounts may have traded on inside military information, The Washington Post reported.
The memo does not say whether government contractors must follow the same rule, The Washington Post reported. Those workers can also see classified information.
What we know: Hegseth's October 20 memo bans betting on military operations with nonpublic information.
What we don't: Whether the rule will also cover contract workers.
Where outlets agree The Washington Post, The Washington Times and CBS News report that Hegseth's memo bans Defense Department personnel from betting on military operations with nonpublic information, classified or not.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.