US Secretary of Defense: Prohibit Pentagon personnel from using military information to bet on predictive markets Odaily Planet Daily News: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Pentagon and defense personnel from using undisclosed information to bet on upcoming military operations, including trading on predictive market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. Pete Hegseth stated in a memo sent to senior officials of the Department of Defense and related defense agencies on Tuesday that the ban covers confidential and non confidential information, and pointed out that betting in the predicted market may expose military operations, affecting operational security and personnel judgment. Prior to the issuance of this directive, US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was accused in April of using confidential information related to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicol á s Maduro to bet and profit over $400000 on Polymarket related results. The prosecutor claimed to have been involved in the planning and execution of the operation, and Van Dyke pleaded not guilty to all charges. In February of this year, Israeli authorities arrested and charged a military reserve personnel and a civilian on suspicion of using confidential information to bet on the results of Israel's military strike against Iran on Polymarket.