# DoD Bars Personnel from Insider Betting

The Department of Defense issued a directive barring military service members and civilian personnel from using classified or unclassified nonpublic military information to place financial bets, including on prediction-market platforms. The directive applies to DoD personnel; defense contractors are advised to review their insider-information controls, employee training, and reporting procedures to address risks when supporting defense organizations. Violations by covered personnel may result in administrative discipline or criminal prosecution under federal law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

- Contractors should review how employees handle nonpublic military information and whether existing training and reporting procedures address prediction-market betting.
- The directive concerns DoD personnel, so contractors should distinguish the stated personnel prohibition from recommended internal safeguards for their own workforce.
- The risk is operational as well as legal: misuse of sensitive information can jeopardize missions and undermine trust in the Armed Forces.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** October 30, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
- U.S. House of Representatives

### Key Quotes
> When individuals use sensitive military information to profit from bets on national security events, they jeopardize missions, endanger American lives, and undermine the public’s trust in our Armed Forces.
> — Eugene Vindman, Congressman

### Sources
- [Following Vindman’s Bipartisan Push, Pentagon Bans Military Personnel from Using Inside Information to Place Bets on Prediction Markets   | Representative Eugene Vindman](https://vindman.house.gov/2026/10/30/following-vindmans-bipartisan-push-pentagon-bans-military-personnel-from-using-inside-information-to-place-bets-on-prediction-markets/) - Vindman